The article glosses over the fact that wards rounds are typically an exercise that requires vast amount of highly dimensional data. Hidden in the article is the requirement that the information - lab values, vitals, patient location / status, problem list - must be maintained electronically. This by itself is already very hard, especially as paper records never have downtime / network issues and do not talk back when invalid values are written.
Please be assured that the state-of-the-art is not as described. Sufficiently advanced hospitals would have means for healthcare workers to access vitals, lab values, patient location, current medications, current problem list / diagnoses, medical history from previous days and even previous visits, and even medical history from other institutions - all electronically. Staffs enter data into system directly and no transcribing is required. These are available as discrete data i.e. not freetext strings only decipherable by humans.
Also don't forget about electronic prescribing of drugs, glorified vending machines with pockets that only open when there is an order for that particular medication, and barcoded medication administration system.
MD here. I agree that many EMRs can do the things you list. What you have missed is how painful/clunky it is to do so, which is why it's still so often done by hand.
Of course, some EMRs may be good... just none of the 10 or so I have used.
Comments
The article glosses over the fact that wards rounds are typically an exercise that requires vast amount of highly dimensional data. Hidden in the article is the requirement that the information - lab values, vitals, patient location / status, problem list - must be maintained electronically. This by itself is already very hard, especially as paper records never have downtime / network issues and do not talk back when invalid values are written.
Please be assured that the state-of-the-art is not as described. Sufficiently advanced hospitals would have means for healthcare workers to access vitals, lab values, patient location, current medications, current problem list / diagnoses, medical history from previous days and even previous visits, and even medical history from other institutions - all electronically. Staffs enter data into system directly and no transcribing is required. These are available as discrete data i.e. not freetext strings only decipherable by humans.
Also don't forget about electronic prescribing of drugs, glorified vending machines with pockets that only open when there is an order for that particular medication, and barcoded medication administration system.
MD here. I agree that many EMRs can do the things you list. What you have missed is how painful/clunky it is to do so, which is why it's still so often done by hand.
Of course, some EMRs may be good... just none of the 10 or so I have used.