Opportunities ... and Challenges (or, No One Said It Was Going To Be Easy)

My local Sunday paper included two unrelated pieces that really bring home the complexity, breadth and diversity that is implied when we talk about our "healthcare system."

The first, a reprint from the Washington Post, reported the challenges involved in transitioning to a fully digitized system.  The benefits of improved "health IT" products including electronic medical records have been well-documented and are one element of health-care reform that enjoy support across the political spectrum.  Indeed, we're on record here as boosters.  Yet, the article notes:

But such bipartisan enthusiasm has obscured questions about the effectiveness of health information technology products, critics say. Interviews with more than two dozen doctors, academics, patients and computer programmers suggest that computer systems can increase errors, add hours to doctors' workloads and compromise patient care.

Talk about a punch in the gut.  It is right, however, to keep immediate expectations in check.  As the article says, we should not expect digital health records to be an overnight "cure-all" for systemic inefficiencies in our system.  And it is particularly critical that as new technologies are rolled out, the very end users they are supposed to help - doctors and their patients - are consulted and listened to.  Any system that inhibits physician productivity and their precious time with patients will be a non-starter.

The second article that caught my eye was a thoughtful "community view" essay by a leader of the local hospice and palliative care network.  She writes knowingly about "end-of-life" care and the importance of honest, candid discussions among patients, their family members and health providers about how individuals want to spend their last days.  She cites data showing 98 percent of families saying they would recommend hospice to others facing end-of-life decisions.

My take-away from these two very different stories:

1. We are blessed to have so many incredibly talented people involved in every aspect of our health care system.
2. That "system" is innately a human one--no amount of technology nor mechanization can ever replace the primary role of loving, caring, committed human beings who every day are focused on making people well or easing their pain.  And we should be doing everything we can to support them.