Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2010
Gradual electronic health record implementation: new insights on physician and patient adaptation.
Although there is significant interest in implementation of electronic health records (EHRs), limited data have been published in the United States about how physicians, staff, and patients adapt to this implementation process. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of EHR implementation, especially regarding physician-patient communication and behaviors and patients' responses. ⋯ Strong patient trust in the physician-patient relationship was maintained and work flow improved with EHR implementation. Gradual EHR implementation may help support the development of beneficial physician and staff adaptations, while maintaining positive patient-physician relationships and fostering the sharing of medical information.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2010
Professional medical organizations and commercial conflicts of interest: ethical issues.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has recently been criticized for accepting a large corporate donation from Coca-Cola to fund patient education on obesity prevention. Conflicts of interest, whether individual or organizational, occur when one enters into arrangements that reasonably tempt one to put aside one's primary obligations in favor of secondary interests, such as financial self-interest. ⋯ Most of the defenses offered by AAFP are rationalizations rather than ethical counterarguments. Medical organizations, as the public face of medicine and as formulator of codes of ethics for their physician members, have special obligations to adhere to high ethical standards.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialPhysician satisfaction with chronic care processes: a cluster-randomized trial of guided care.
Chronically ill older patients with multiple conditions are challenging to care for, and new models of care for this population are needed. This study evaluates the effect of the Guided Care model on primary care physicians' impressions of processes of care for chronically ill older patients. ⋯ Based on physician report, Guided Care provides important benefits to physicians by improving communication with chronically ill older patients and their families and in physicians' knowledge of their patients' clinical conditions.