Perspective Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Oncology Clinic: How Clinician Interaction With EHRs Can Improve Communication With the Patient

Interacting with computers in the clinic can feel like a burden, or even a barrier to important interpersonal aspects of patient care. Similar barriers can be posed by other electronic devices used in patient care, such as tablets, smartphones, or PDAs. Despite the expectation that such devices might improve the quality of care, electronic health record (EHR) systems in par-ticular generally have complex, cumbersome computer inter-faces that demand much attention and many keystrokes during a clinical encounter.1 Coupled with increasing documentation requirements and “meaningful use ” initiatives, EHRs can be a time sink in a busy clinic. EHRs pose a particularly difficult problem in the oncology clinic, where emotionally difficult top-ics are often addressed, requiring sufficient time and attention; in this setting, the computer can feel particularly obtrusive and distracting