Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare Through Relationship-Centered Communication

CHAPTER 7

The Skill Sets and the Electronic Health Record

Muriel Hampton walks nervously into Dr. Kumar’s family practice for what she fears will be bad news. She nervously sits on the chair in the exam room. Prominently placed on the table next to her is a large computer screen with a keyboard. The medical assistant walks into the room and sits down to turn on the computer.

Computers have made their way into all parts of the medical system: emergency departments, ambulatory surgical centers, and inpatient acute care units. Electronic health record (EHR) management systems may vary, but one fact holds true across settings: when clinicians are physically with patients, most of them are face-to-face not with the patient but with the computer screen, ...