Sanford J.Brown
I visited my ob-gyn friend Keevan in his office today to offer a consultation on medical billing software.Keevan′s hardware was archaic:a 286 machine with a monochrome monitor.Using his computer was like tying bleeders instead of using cautery.His software company was out of business.No upgrades were available.He clearly needed a makeover,yet he approached using my system with some trepidation."Will it bill rural health?" he wanted to know."Keevan," I said,"it will bill God if you know the address."
It′s always amazed me how you have to drag doctors kicking and screaming into the electronic information age.You′d think that after getting through medical school,running a medical office would be a snap.It isn′t.I think the fear of it drives some of us to give up on private practice.
我的朋友凱文是婦產科醫生,為了幫他解決收費軟件問題,今天去了他的診所。凱文所用的硬件早已過時了:286機器外加單色視頻顯示器。用起來就像術中止血還用結扎而不用電凝似的。他之前的軟件公司已經破產,沒有可用的升級資源。顯然要更新,可凱文對我用的系統還心存疑慮。“這系統能用于鄉村保健收費嗎?”他問。我說:“如果你知道地址,它能向上帝收費。”
令我不解的是,讓醫生走進電子信息時代為何如此不情愿。或許有人認為完成醫學院學業后開家診所輕而易舉,其實并非如此。我覺得有些人就是由于恐懼而打消了私人開業的念頭。
后記:信奉、接納新技術才能跟上時代的步伐,電子信息時代給人們帶來效益人所共知。醫院信息系統(hospital information system,HIS)使從業人員和患者雙方獲益:信息準確、快捷,減少了差錯的幾率;環環緊扣,完善了臨床路徑;利于解決看病難的問題,遠程會診解決了偏遠地區疑難病例的會診;通過言語和視頻指導下完成手術已成為事實,醫院間、社區診所或衛生所醫院的聯網,所帶來的效益更顯示了電子信息時代給我們帶來的欣喜。
在互聯網上輸入一個關鍵詞就可閱讀無數條國內外相關信息:新型病毒和細菌的出現;局部地區傳染病的爆發;新型疾病的臨床表現,檢驗指標的變化,影像學的改變;研究發現;醫療技術的發展與應用。用互聯網抗擊SARS我們有過體驗,適應科學技術的發展及時代的進步,才能推進醫療事業的發展。設備的添置和更新是硬件,醫務人員知識、技能、理念綜合素質是軟件。兩者同等重要,缺一不可。