While the government touts the advantages and cost savings of technology like electronic medical records (EMR), several recent studies have found that it are actually interfering with doctors’ ability to provide the best care.  Instead of spending attention and time on the patient, many doctors have to focus on checking numerous boxes and clicking through multiple screens.  Physicians also recognize the over-hyped promise of EHRs – having relevant patient data at the time of visit – and the reality of incomplete information because lab, x-ray, and pharmacy systems are not interoperable.

A study in the  American Journal of Emergency Medicine  found that emergency physicians spent 43 percent of their time entering data into a computer, compared to only 28 percent of their time spent talking to patients.   It went on to say that “during a typical 10-hour shift, a doctor would click a mouse almost 4000 times.” In the effort to streamline data collection, physicians have often been demoted to that of keyboard operators, and their skills have been undervalued.  This trend has a negative impact on patient care and doctor job satisfaction.  The unavoidable conclusion is that technology is interfering with patient care.

For more info, read this Forbes article.