MS Speaks

A blogpost at MedPage Today, November 12,  2015, points out that doctors are spending more and more time staring at computer screens and precious little time dealing with patients directly. This is an alarming trend.

The blogpost, entitled "'Screen Time' Is a Problem for Everyone in Healthcare,"  can be seen here.

No doubt about it--computer and the Internet are in danger of winning the battle for everyone's eyeballs.

More on this subject from NEJM Physician's First Watch, December 1, 2015:

   


Clinician Computer Use in Safety-Net Clinics Might Disrupt Communication with Patients

By Jenni Whalen
Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Frequent computer use by clinicians during patient visits in safety-net clinics might negatively affect communication and patient satisfaction, according to a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine.

In an observational study, U.S. researchers videotaped 71 encounters between 47 patients and 39 clinicians over 2 years. The encounters took place at safety-net clinics that used basic electronic health records to review test results, refer patients, and prescribe medications.

Patients whose clinicians used computers the most during their visits were less likely to rate their recent care as excellent, relative to those whose clinicians used computers the least (48% vs. 83%). Clinicians who used computers most heavily were more likely to engage in negative rapport building behaviors, such as disagreeing with the patient.

The researchers conclude that "concurrent computer use may inhibit authentic engagement, and multitasking clinicians may miss openings for deeper connection with their patients."