Thread by @DrKate_Miller

Data duplication in medicine, a rant. So much time is taken up in our job of re-entering the same data, for each patient across different medical services. Medications. Medical histories. Mostly static information (in geriatrics anyway).

Then, there’s the time wasted finding information (such as blood test results). No centralised access to any of this information. So for every patient, I will re-enter their medical history and what medications they’re on.

The level of error that gets introduced by duplication is concerning. Especially for residential aged care residents whose histories are long. I have residents on up to 45 drugs at a time. Databases all have slightly different formats and nomenclature for this stuff.

There is little standardisation because it depends on what the database was originally designed for. Coding, billing, or medical, or some combination of all three.

If I order blood tests for my patient, I have to wait until they are mailed back, unless I sign up for online access. But online access will only show me the blood tests *I* have ordered, not any other reason ones, and only for the provider number I have used.

I have multiple provider numbers but you often can only sign up to a pathology service with one at a time, so unless I go and add all the rest (via email, not automated), I can’t see the results I have requested. If someone else has requested it? They have to be faxed to me.

My Health Record attempts to correct this by making this information more available in a centralised way, BUT I still have to type it all out into my notes or software.

What do I want? I want MHR to auto populate practice and EMR software with up to date prescriptions, medical histories, blood tests, specialist letters and results. I want to be able to select which of this information then prefills into my notes/letters.

Five years away? Ten years? I want my time with my patients, not wasting it doing data entry. Would love your perspective @KathyRainbird 🙏