Myth 1: An electronic medical record could save your life in an emergency
Monday, August 10, 2009 at 7:28PM Information technology does not stop bleeding, start IVs, defibrillate the heart, or put in a breathing tube. In an emergency, those are the things that save your life. If you need them, the doctor does not have time to look at your EMR.
In an emergency, the doctor needs to know your blood sugar NOW, not what it was 6 months ago. Ditto for your chest xray. If the test needs to be done STAT, the old results are probably irrelevant, and if it doesn’t need to be done STAT, there’s time to make a phone call and ask for a faxed report.
The most important information in an emergency is what just happened to you, and that will not be in your EMR.
If you have a serious allergy or other problem that your doctor needs to know in an emergency, wear a MedicAlert bracelet or something else attached to your body. In a bad emergency, your ID may be lost, the computer may be down, or the power may be off.
The EMR is being promoted for the convenience of bureaucrats and lawyers, and for the profits of vendors. Sometimes it helps doctors; sometimes it’s a hindrance. Only the doctor can decide.
The EMR costs a huge amount of money, and the costs never stop. It might save a few dollars in preventing unnecessary tests for people who have bad memories or can’t keep track of paper records.
The whole record could be destroyed by a power surge (especially if it’s an electromagnetic pulse or EMP). Or it could become unreadable; tapes, disks, and other media become obsolete and are not necessarily durable. On the other hand, it can be nearly impossible to extirpate errors.
The EMR may prevent some errors, but introduce others, especially ones caused by identity theft, sloppy data entry, poor typing skills, confusing software, dry-labbed information entry by macro, and failure to check data once entered. It could even kill you.
EMR systems are a nonconsented experiment, the results of which may be kept secret by the vendors.
If you’re desperately ill or critically injured, you need a doctor, not a computer. Your doctor needs to be able to keep his records in a way that works for him, and to choose his own tools, computers included.
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Reader Comments (8)
Your arguments, when they are not lies, are irrelevant to the subject. You are without a doubt the most despicable human being ever to walk the planet (you really don't deserve the designation of "human." You may think that there are those more despicable than you but since you support Cheney, Bush, Rove, et. al. , you rise to their level of criminality (mass murder, and theft on a scale never before imagined.)
Wake up and smell the coffee, everyone deserves the right to walk this land of FREEDOM, not the so called Democratic democracy that they say is in place. I supported Bush, I served several tours and proud to say I DEFENDED MY COUNTRY For YOU!!. Now I keep defending our freedom inside with the U.S. with my voice until they have taken that away. These posts are relevant to you and me and my children. All the Dems can say is they are not getting respect in these town hall meetings, poor Dem's no respect, you only get respect where its earned and you must give it first. The basics of life that your parents taught you. Quit your crying im tired of putting my hard earned dollars in your mouth.
May I ask any interested reader: Am I wrong? I served my country in the Army (with a resultant permanent disability, though fortunately trivial), and I work in public health care (where I fight for increased quality care for EVERYONE) and have done so throughout my medical career (and did previously, too, as an RN). And I am sorry that I defended the freedom of "ACHE", above, and am even sorry if I provided any medical help to that person. I am a physician, but I wish they would leave this country and go to Afghanistan or Burkina Faso where there is no medical care and little freedom, and hate whomever they want, but die a relatively painful death. I am not a doctor and was not a soldier for the purpsoe of protecting ACHE's right to hate and denigrate. Really, do you think there is something wrong with me?
Or is that kind of hard-mindedness what is necessary to correct the softheadedness that pervades public policy?
Really, I don't know, and I hope someone will answer. Thanks.
Ache, can you point out for us directly even a single lie in this article? Is it true then, that EMRs CAN stop bleeding, start IVs, defibrillate the heart, or put in a breathing tube? Will 6-month old blood sugar levels be "good enough" for a Dr. deciding your emergency treatment NOW?
Furthermore, can you dispute that electronic data IS vulnerable to user error? Power surges? System functionality/availability?
And how in the world is ANY of this OFF topic? This article bluntly explores the many downsides to EMRs. Is that off topic to a country considering mandatory implementation of EMRs? For crying out loud, read the title to this article! Do you consider "on topic" only those opinions that propagandize the pros of EMRs?
Finally, whenever you encounter someone with a different opinion who has logically expressed themself, must you instantly express HATRED and accuse the author of "mass murder, and theft on a scale never before imagined?" Your childish overreaction to someone with a different opinion is very hypocritical. Democrats promote freedom of speech (look at our black president), but apparently only for democrats...not republicans?
You are the spitting image of the pigs in the classic book, "Animal Farm." You believe some of us are more equal than others. (and before you accuse me of calling you a pig, read the book, ok?)
I agree that EMRs should not be mandatory for ALL medical situations, but is this really a part of the currently proposed health bill? Haven't heard of that bit, and this page smells dangerously like a fear tactic.
sOUNDS LIKE viro CHIP IS IN HEALTH PLAN (MARK OF BEAST) ya'll better stop this 'plan 4 Gov to lead us toward 'New World Order where one central world bank no cash, no buy sell trade less take "chip" rice grain sized already 500 hospitals across US agreed participate in it........................see 'Revelations 14 end bible (something revealed) mark beast "this calls for wisdom be not decieved 666" "if accept have glorified Satan w/drink from eternal wrath God" Fight TO KEEP Gods God givennnnnnnnnnn "free will" sy NO health 'plan we don't want "bow down 2 Gov" www.houserepresenatives.com to fight it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a retired military member and disabled veteran thankfully I have some medical treatment available at the present time but with the potential cuts in TRICARE and discussions of increasing the annual premiums for care I was promised for FREE the duration of my life have me very nervous. In addition the proposed cuts in services that were to be provided once reach total retirement and increase in fees. Take that and the amount to be paid to doctors providing service and the accessability is taken away as well. So now will it not only cost more I will receive less care for more fees. Great!! Why not make the people who now are getting service for free and not paying a cent for the service and not paying taxes either get legal and pay their fair share or leave since the majority are here illegally anyway. I have been paying my taxes and into social secuity for 35 years nearly all serving the country; Why am I losing service? This bill is no good and at this rate I will vote strictly against anyone who votes for it.
We have several remedies available to undo this and other unwanted, forced down our throats bill:
1) Vote the bums out of office,
2) Nullify them at the state level,
3) Litigate,
4) Civil Disobedience,
5) Become an Activist.