Thursday, August 18, 2011
Rounding with tablets and smart-phones
How is having all this knowledge at my finger tips going to change patient management? The power of reading and dissecting concepts and using the right tools at the right time will not change. Perhaps, the speed and accuracy of recall will. Perhaps, it's only fitting to have tablets and smart-phones at our disposal while rounding because the sheer volume of new literature is mind blowing and being able to answer that one pertinent question in a matter of a few seconds can make a difference. I am happy to say that I am part of a very connected world acutely tuned in to all that is new and all that is tried and tested. I can' help but feel proud of my generation for empowering all those who seek knowledge and help them apply their knowledge in timely manner.
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2 comments:
Maybe. In my observations, the length of the rounds is proportional to the number of devices on the team actively used to look up information. Everybody is looking something up, including distracting emails. Also, interestingly, using a pocketsize drug reference, I find the drug faster than those with devices.
The EMR made access to patient information quicker, but the large amount of accessible information challenges our abilities to bring it all together and synthesize. How many times has any of us heard a patient asking something like, "why are you asking me these questions? It's all in the computer," not realizing that it may take hours to navigate the EMR and cull needed records and labs? The amount of information one needs to process now has risen proportionally if not out-proportionally with the ease of access. Does all the information help reduce uncertainties of care, or compounds it?
So, gadgets do help with mechanics of access, communication, and perhaps memory, but without a systems-based framework designed to advance cognitive capacities of providers, they will be just fancy clipboards.
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