An Interactive Future- Click Here.

Over the past few months, Thomas and I have explored and argued about the trends involving the use of technology in the U.S. health care system. More specifically, we talked about implementing electronic medical records (ERM) in different facets (such as computer kiosks) to create an interactive health care system that will provide patients with better quality in care. Although I have often been the skeptic in these discussions over moving away from paper records, I cannot deny the inevitability of the adoption of EMR systems or other technologies in the health care system.

The integration of EMR systems into health care operations and information systems in the United States will greatly improve efficiency, which is why these systems are so desirable. Both space and time can be saved when files are stored electronically; but still, the option to click the print button will always exists in the event that paper records are still needed. In this blog, we have explored the present state of transition in regards to electronic medical record storage and the implications of changing to a system where medical practitioners replace their quills and ink wells with tablet pens.

Those basement storage rooms...

EMR Tablet PC

Thus, we envision that  technology will be fused with health care to create an interactive environment where patients can cooperate with physicians to improve the quality of service provided to them. This vision is supported not only by the use of EMRs, but also by the innovations of web-based networking sites, like Facebook and WebMD. Recently the New York Times published an article on how friendship, i.e. social interaction, can have a positive influence on patient health. These social network sites can help enact social support systems for the ill. People will also feel more confident in medical filing systems where they hold some control over their information. Interaction encourages confidence in security; the impact of these fears will be significantly lessened by the perceived control over our own medical records. The future is interactive medicine.