Promoting Mindful Clinical Interaction While Using Electronic Technologies:A Group Training to Improve Patient Experience Colleen T. Fogarty, MD, MSc.
Collaborative Family Healthcare Association 16th Annual ConferenceOctober 16-18, 2014 Washington, DC U.S.A.
Session #October __, 2014
Faculty Disclosure
Please include ONE of the following statements:
I/We have not had any relevant financial relationships during the past 12 months.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: To describe the communication challenges and
opportunities while using the Electronic Health Record (E.H.R.) in clinical practice.
To develop a list of behaviors that help the E.H.R. use become more patient-centered.
To learn and practice brief mindfulness activities and reflective writing to assist with the challenges of E.H.R. use.
This is Progress?
Click, click, scroll, type, select, search: error. Repeat.
Blah, blah,blah goes the background din of the patient’s HPI.
Click, click, type, click…[pause]. Frozen. Reboot.
The distracting din continues.
Open, login, click, type, click…[pause]
…I wish this patient would pause. Doesn’t she realize I am trying to provide state-of-the-art care?
By Sean C. Lucan, MD, MPH, MS
Families, Systems, and Health 2011
The Cost of Technology
Reflection and sharing experience Find a partner
Focus on a recent patient care encounter using E.H.R. this could be a --particularly helpful time --particularly annoying situation --OR when you particularly noticed the E.H.R. as a
player in the visit.
Jot down a few key elements of the story before telling it to your partner
Option—write a 55-word story
Debriefing:Discuss your reactions to the exchange Now discuss your personal reactions to
telling and hearing the story Thoughts Feelings Bodily sensations
What questions were helpful and why? How did you react to the exercise and to
each other?
Take 10 minutes For the storyteller,
address:
What happened?
What helpful qualities did you bring to that moment?
Who else was involved, and how did they contribute?
What aspects of the context made a difference?
What lessons from this story are useful to you?
For the listener:
Be attentive, don’t interrupt
Ask questions to help your partner clarify and provide details
Don’t talk about your own ideas or experiences
Use reflective questions and empathy when appropriate
If you get done sooner, just be silent. We’ll let you know when it is time to switch.
Video demonstration
http://courses.washington.edu/pove/watch/06/
Electronic interfaces & clinical care Divided attention or diffused focus Effects on communication Information overload Quality of information
Bringing irrelevant things to our attention (minimal drug interactions)
Difficulty entering/retrieving information
A Focus on Focus
When you have a computer in the room, how do you parse your attention?
When does the screen draw your attention? When does the patient draw your attention? How can you maintain dual attention; that is,
integrate your attention to both the computer and the patient?
The literature
Physicians with EHR’s structure interviews around data-gathering rather than the patients’ narratives.
Several personal habits may help improve this dynamic. Adjust the ‘geography’ Bring the EHR into the relationship Use the computer to teach
Adjust the “Geography”
Sit facing the patient Sit at eye-level when practical Adjust the computer screen to allow patient to
see it Move close to the patient so s/he can see
screen
Triad: Bring computer into the relationship Introduce yourself to the patient FIRST Introduce the computer to the patient Share information from the screen with the
patient Maintain eye contact with the patient Let the patient know when there is need to
focus only on computer
Using the computer as a tool with the patient Offer the patient a copy of something in
the record (e.g. lab result, etc.) Access online patient information
materials
Summary-- 10 Tips
Position monitor so patient can see Learn to type Know when to stop typing/integrate with pt
need Don’t let templates direct information
gathering Don’t let the E.H.R. set the agenda
Summary-- 10 Tips
Start with patient concerns Tell the patient what you are doing Point to the screen/show your patients data Involve patient in documentation Look at your patient
Use computer to teach & enhance quality of care Show patient her/his vital signs As appropriate, consider:
Showing flowsheets or other data trends Offer patient copy of visit, vitals, or other data Provide online patient education Reconcile medication list with the patient Indicate if you have seen patient entries in patient
portal
Formal practice
Home practice Each day, notice your interactions with
technology both in patient care and in learning and academic pursuit. Then take a few moments to explore your own reactions.
In what ways were you present to your patient? What was most troubling to you about the
technology? What gave the most meaning? What did you learn about your own way of
responding to electronic stimuli and stresses?
References
Ventres W, Kooienga S, Vuckovic N, Marlin R, Nygren P, Stewart V. Physicians, patients, and the electronic health record: An ethnographic analysis. Ann Fam Med. 2006 Mar-Apr;4(2):124-31.
Verghese A. Culture shock--patient as icon, icon as patient. N Engl J Med. 2008 Dec 25;359(26):2748-51.
Hartzband P, Groopman J. Off the record--avoiding the pitfalls of going electronic. N Engl J Med. 2008 Apr 17;358(16):1656-8.
Frankel R, Altschuler A, George S, Kinsman J, Jimison H, Robertson NR, et al. Effects of exam-room computing on clinician-patient communication: A longitudinal qualitative study. J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Aug;20(8):677-82.
Session Evaluation
Please complete and return theevaluation form to the classroom
monitor before leaving this session.
Thank you!