Doctors from Batemans Bay and Moruya Hospitals have criticized the new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, which has just been put into use at both hospitals.
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They were surprised by the praise it was given by Great Southern Area Health Service acting eastern sector general manager Karen Lenihan in a Bay Post/Moruya Examiner article last Wednesday.
Batemans Bay Doctor Lachlan Brown said the majority of staff at the hospital were finding the new system difficult to use.
“The main problem is not the concept of the eMR, but it is that the system that has been installed is user unfriendly and wastes a lot of time,” he said.
“In addition, it does not communicate with the eMRs in place in Canberra and the Illawarra.”
Dr Brown said the system in the emergency department was fully electronic, but the system in the ward area of the hospital is an awkward electronic and written hybrid.
“Most GPs use eMR systems in their practices, but the software they use is lot quicker and simpler to use than the system in our hospitals,” he said.
However, Dr Brown concedes that abandoning the new system is not an option.
“Most of the Greater Southern Area Health Service have already converted to the eMR, so there is no way we can change it, but it is just a little bit galling when claims are made about the system which are contrary to the actual experience of those who have to work with it,” he said.
Dr Brown has worked at Batemans Bay Hospital for 15 years.
A doctor at Moruya Hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed Dr Brown’s sentiments.
“Doctors and nurses are finding the experience of the eMR absolutely to the contrary of Karen Lenihan’s comments,” the doctor said.
“It doesn’t do much more than add statistics and slow us up. It leads to extended waiting periods as staff are shackled to a computer screen when they could be with patients.”
The doctor said that the new system was already outmoded.
“It is a US developed system, but in the US they are using version 11 while we are using version three.”