This is a mildly entertaining ethnographic study of how ED physicians, IM physicians, and surgeons used the Electronic Health Record (EHR) in the context of patient care in a tertiary medical center.
Essentially, the authors observed and interviewed residents and attendings in their use of the EHR, and identified its use in a function termed “chart biopsy” during the admission handoff process. Inpatient teams were observed using the EHR to get a quick overview of the patient prior to the handoff, to provide the foundation for the history & physical, and – most entertainingly – to use as a weapon in negotiation and “blocking” potential admissions with ED physicians. Other amusing anecdotes include the authors’ characterization of inpatient physicians feeling “less ‘at the mercy’ of ED physicians” after doing a pre-handoff chart biopsy, or feeling as though they could guard against the “disorganized ramblings” off the handoff process.
Overall, the authors correctly identify EHRs as increasingly prevalent supplements to traditional information gathering techniques, and make a reasonable proposal for evolution in EHRs to aid the “chart biopsy” process.
“Chart biopsy: an emerging medical practice enabled by electronic health records and its impacts on emergency department-inpatient admission handoffs.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22962194