Dr. Davis' computer monitor, for example, sits on the left side of his desk while patients sit to his right. With the keyboard at his fingertips, Dr. Davis is able to keep eye contact with patients while he updates their notes. If Dr. Davis needs look at the screen for more than a few seconds, he always prepares the patient. In addition to being decent typists, they can use computer templates that offer a standard format to enter data. M. Anthony Albornoz, FACP, acting chairman of the department of medicine and chief of rheumatology at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pa., uses templates he created with word processing software.
Templates also minimize the amount of typing needed.
When New York City gastroenterologist Barbara Kapelman, FACP, sees established patients, she simply updates a copy of an old note. It's in there, so you don't have to keep retyping it. Templates also prompt physicians to ask certain questions during patient histories. It helps me do the things I have decided I want to do for my patients. However, physicians who don't allow patients to deviate from the template order may find that the doctor-patient relationship suffers.