Primary Care Physicians' Perspectives on the Ethical Impact of the Electronic Medical Record
| Autor: | Gary S. Fischer, Marlies Saelaert, An De Sutter, Tania Moerenhout, Veerle Provoost, Ignaas Devisch |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty Attitude of Health Personnel health care facilities manpower and services media_common.quotation_subject education Health informatics 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Nursing health services administration Health care medicine Electronic Health Records Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Qualitative Research health care economics and organizations Aged media_common Physician-Patient Relations Primary Health Care business.industry 030503 health policy & services Public health Beneficence Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Health information exchange Middle Aged 0305 other medical science Family Practice business Autonomy Medical ethics Qualitative research |
| Zdroj: | The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 33:106-117 |
| ISSN: | 1558-7118 1557-2625 |
| DOI: | 10.3122/jabfm.2020.01.190154 |
| Popis: | Objective: The aim of this study is to explore whether specific ethical questions arise with the use of a shared electronic health record (EHR) system, based on the daily experience of primary care physicians (PCPs). Methods: In this qualitative research project, we conducted 14 in-depth semistructured interviews with PCPs in a tertiary hospital setting. Results: We identified 4 themes: 1) PCPs describe the EHR as a medicine with side effects, for which they provide suggestions for improvements; 2) A shared record raises ethical questions related to autonomy and trust; 3) Although use of the EHR often disturbs rapport with the patient, it can also support the patient-doctor interaction when it becomes an active part of the conversation; 4) A shared EHR may cause health care providers (and their relatives) to avoid seeking help for sensitive issues. Discussion: PCPs fear access to results could cause confusion and anxiety in patients, resulting in tensions between autonomy and beneficence. Improved efficiency and quality of care with a shared EHR relies on doctors trusting each other9s input to avoid duplicate tests. However, this might compromise a fundamental skeptical attitude in practicing medicine, and we should be aware of a risk of increased confirmation and anchoring bias. Conclusion: The EHR is considered to be a work in progress—EHR design could be improved by examining physicians9 coping strategies and implementing their suggestions for improvement. Ethical questions related to autonomy, trust, and the status of records that belong to doctor–patients need to be considered in future research and EHR development. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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