To a busy physician, the intrusion of computers and the Internet seems like one more thing that will eat up precious time. We think of patient visits in terms of minutes and pharmaceutical salespeople in terms of seconds. That doesn't leave any time to explain to doctors how computers and the Internet can transform our profession. The second reason is the perception of brokenness. The American public, economists, and politicians harp that the U.S. health-care system is in shambles.
Doctors see a problem too, but a very different one.
Most physicians are too busy too think about that side and delegate it to their office personnel. Finally, technology solutions must work well all the time. My prescription pad has never let me down. Name one computer or software program that has never crashed. Managed care has created a whole level of inefficiency that physicians spend half their time trying to satisfy.