When you are in a health-related appointment do you feel like the computer gets more attention from your provider (physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant) than you do?
Back in the early 90s hospitals started converting to electronic charting. That means typing notes into a computer, rather than writing them on a paper chart. It also means documenting during visits, rather than waiting until after the patient leaves. The downside to this new(ish) practice is less eye contact with patients, and potentially more attention on a computer than a person.
This is something we discuss in classes at the Diabetes Education and Management Master’s Degree program where I teach. The person with diabetes is the center of the health care team, the most important person in the room, and the reason we do what we do. Therefore, anything that takes our attention away from that person is not what we mean to be doing.
The hard part is that various agencies require health care professionals to document all sorts of information. It really is easier to enter it into the computer right as we go – as we are asking the questions and gathering information. My endocrinologist sits at a table across from me and enters data/information in the computer as he talks to me. This has never bothered me before. The computer is off to the side, so I don’t feel like it’s in the way of our conversation. And he does look at me as well as the screen.
On the other hand, if you feel like the computer is getting in the way of your care or your relationship with your provider, say something. Then again, if you are not comfortable telling your provider that computerized charting during the visit is bothersome to you, discuss it on social media, and trust me, word will get back to health care providers in a hurry.