Technology - The Double-Edged Sword

My days at work recently have been very difficult. In addition to accommodating the scheduling needs of a doctor who wants his first appointment to be at 7:05 AM  and work through lunch so he can leave earlier at the end of the day (that's got to stop) we have had computer changes thrust upon us. The process for entering patient info into their EMR (electronic medical record), specifically their prescription information and problem list, has not only changed but it has expanded. More data entry = more time.

Change is always hard at first and I congratulate myself at learning the recent changes with relative ease and a positive attitude. I always feel sorry for the EMR trainers who receive the brunt of anger and frustration from those who resist the new ways and/or have trouble learning it, but since this is what the trainers do they must be used to it. The changes will ultimately allow our docs to prescribe from anywhere to anywhere as long as they have access to a computer. In addition, when our patients leave they will have a copy of their visit with all their vital signs, the doctor's comments about their visit, and patient education information about their problems if this applies. These are the amazing benefits of technology.

Wow, fantastic I say! But why kill your staff in the process? They added these additional info entry tasks to what we're already doing with no added time allowance. I've been getting up at 4:50 AM every day, getting at best 30 minutes break midday to gobble down my lunch, and then working till the last patient finishes. I may get home at 6 PM, give or take. By 7:30 I'm sleepy and miserable. Two people have already quit, rightly thinking that there must be more to life than this! Others are getting their resumes ready.

Me? I'm hoping things will change again for the better. I have ridden the ups and downs with this practice for twenty years; things always get better when a low point has been reached. Even so, I know that healthcare is changing. As much as technology is helping us take better care of patients the economy is forcing us to work on the edge of a knife. We are always functioning with fewer than needed staff because they can't afford to hire one more person than is necessary. God help us when two people go out for unexpected surgery and another two turn in their resignations... and this happened with all but one manager on vacation.

So bear with me if I'm testy, or don't blog, or don't call, or yawn in your ear when you call me. It's going to get better... it has to.