Electronic medical records make sense

Re: Heartfield: Families, physicians and faxes — will Ontario's health-care system ever learn modern communication?, Jan. 8

Kate Heartfield expressed the opinion shared emphatically by my late husband,

Dr. Gordon E. Riddle, family physician, past president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa and the Northern School of Medicine, and early adopter of and advocate for electronic medical records (EMR). How can it be that at the touch of a screen, your local pizza shop knows your details and ordering history and can fill your order in seconds but a doctor in the hospital doesn't have your medical history because it's on a piece of paper in an office?

Gordon taught his medical students in 10 minutes how to use the EMR system. Graphs on the screen could show changes in patients' blood sugar and blood pressure — a teaching tool. With reduced chart pulls, faster sharing of test results and better management of pharmacy costs, tax dollars were saved. When EMR is used system-wide, there is less duplication of tests and outcomes are tracked more easily. Legibility, especially for prescriptions and notes in hospital charts, is vastly improved.

Overall, there is increased satisfaction in the medical profession where EMR is used. One former colleague said he was ready to retire until Gordon introduced EMR into the group practice. The efficiency and satisfaction gave him new enthusiasm to continue for 10 more years. The local pharmacy said their staff was relieved at finally seeing legible prescriptions. Many patients were able to reduce their medications because EMR kept accurate records. Online programs alerted the doctor or nurse about poor interactions between medications. The whole health system needs to adopt integrated EMR for the better care of all patients and the satisfaction of health professionals. It's time to change!

Linda Acton-Riddle, Bracebridge