| |
Why use a computer in the first place ? You don’t have
to. But then you also don’t really have to use a telephone
either ! The truth is that a computer can tremendously improve
the quality of your practice – and actually give you more
quality time to spend with your patients. Most doctors even
in the US have still to realize this, although almost 75 per
cent of physicians use computers in some form or the other.
In India, the number is growing rapidly but we are still far
behind the Americans. However, you cannot afford to remain computer-phobic
anymore, and for most doctors, the question should not be, “
Should I buy a computer ?” but rather, “Which computer
should I buy “ ?
Just for example, do you know the precise number
of patients that you examined and treated last Thursday
? Would you able to find out how many of them have
paid you, and how much? And who should have come
for a follow up visit this week, but didn’t
show up? Most of us would have no clue – or
it would take several days of wading through old
notebooks, receipts, prescriptions, rough notings
on slips of paper, and God knows what else! Is it
better to go on doing that for the next twenty years
or would you like to switch to a computer? The same
thing applies to your clinical research and analysis,
whether it comes to collating your data or preparing
your presentation. And then there is today’s
“killer application” – the internet.
This is such an important area today, that we have
devoted a full chapter to this subject.
TOP
Computerizing your clinic is not an easy task. If you run a
disorganized clinic, the computer will multiply this disorganization
a hundred-fold ! Make sure you have paper backup records for
at least the first year; and that you have data backup and storage
systems to deal with the inevitable computer glitches which
plague all computer-users ! Since this is such an important
investment, buy the best computer you can afford; and ensure
that you have efficient and reliable technical assistance which
is a phone call away. There is no substitute for having a comprehensive
maintenance contract for your computer – if the system
goes done, it can paralyse your clinic, and you simply cannot
afford this ! Decisions as to which system to buy and whether
or not to go in for a local area network (if you have a large
clinic ) should be made only after talking to other doctors
who are happy with the computer system you are planning to go
in for.
Of course, a computer is just a dumb box, and you
need software programs for it to perform useful
functions. Generic programs such as word processing,
spread sheets, databases and presentation software
are useful to everyone , including doctors. Most
doctors, for example, still use their computer primarily
as a glorified word processor, for printing out
patient’s discharge summaries or referral
letters. Others have been more innovative, and use
their computer to automate some of their office
functions – for example, to record the telephone
numbers of incoming voice mail; or as a FAX machine.
However, a computer really shines in helping you
manage your medical practise when you equip it with
a practise management program, also called Electronic
Medical Record ( EMR) programs. These are meant
to cater to general medical practice tasks , like
keeping patient records, scheduling appointments,
and billing patients. These maintain accurate &
detailed medical records which you can retrieve
at the touch of a button. You can also analyse your
practice, for example, to find out how often you
see patients with a particular medical problem,
and what their response to treatment is. Many of
these programs also allow you to instantly print
out customised patient educational handouts which
you can give to your patients. Many of these programs
are “intelligent” and will check your
prescriptions for drug interactions, for example.
Which programme to buy is a very important decision;
and the more user-friendly your EMR programme is,
the more likely it is that you will use it to improve
your productivity ! Insist on a working demo in
your clinic which you can try out for a week, before
making a final purchase decision. It’s also
a good idea to talk to other doctors who have been
using the program for some time, to ensure they
are happy with it. A good program will minimise
the typing you need to do; and should be able to
adapt to your practise’s needs. While these
programs are often quite expensive, the good news
is that many computer programmers and doctors are
now developing “open-source software”
for medical practice management. These programs
often run on Linux, and are free, so you don’t
need to pay for them !
TOP
Unfortunately, the sad fact is that even doctors who do have
computers in their clinic do not make optimal use of them. While
buying the computer is easy, training your staff to use it properly
is a difficult task. Hopefully, the new generation will be more
computer-literate , and doctors will be able to integrate the
power of computing into the medical clinic more efficiently.
Many doctors now also use handheld computers or PDAs. These
act as portable brains, and allow them to improve their efficiency
considerably, because they can carry important data with them
! If you need to travel to different clinics or various hospitals,
this can be an excellent investment !
The best way to decide about how to use a computer
in your practice is to talk to a colleague who uses
computers extensively. Ask him to convince you how
a computer can help to improve the quality of your
life !
TOP
|
|
