The problem is walking into an exam room "cold". With paper charts I glance at the last visit, previous skin test results etc. and entering the room start a conversation with "How're you doing with grass pollen season?" or something clever like that. With EMR the chart is sitting on the desk, so to speak, and I would have to open up the patient's record on the screen before tailoring my greeting/approach to the patient's specific problem. Yeah, the personal touch. One could carry a handheld and bring up their record or scout it out on a main computer just before the encounter but this seems a bit time consuming.
What I do is to go to the main screen and see who the next patient chart is. If you click on the name you see the CC and part of the HPI (which my MA's start to fill out.) This will then give you a brief intro you may need.
If I need more I will fully open the chart but not delete it (would you like to remove this from your mailbox? (or something like that) ) and then I have all the info I need to go to the next patient.
