布朗医生日记
——拥抱新技术

Sanford J.Brown

I visited my ob-gyn friend Keevan in his office today to offer a consultation on medical billing software.Keevan′s hardware was archaic:a 286 machine with a monochrome monitor.Using his computer was like tying bleeders instead of using cautery.His software company was out of business.No upgrades were available.He clearly needed a makeover,yet he approached using my system with some trepidation."Will it bill rural health?" he wanted to know."Keevan," I said,"it will bill God if you know the address."

It′s always amazed me how you have to drag doctors kicking and screaming into the electronic information age.You′d think that after getting through medical school,running a medical office would be a snap.It isn′t.I think the fear of it drives some of us to give up on private practice.

我的朋友凯文是妇产科医生，为了帮他解决收费软件问题，今天去了他的诊所。凯文所用的硬件早已过时了：286机器外加单色视频显示器。用起来就像术中止血还用结扎而不用电凝似的。他之前的软件公司已经破产，没有可用的升级资源。显然要更新，可凯文对我用的系统还心存疑虑。“这系统能用于乡村保健收费吗？”他问。我说：“如果你知道地址，它能向上帝收费。”

令我不解的是，让医生走进电子信息时代为何如此不情愿。或许有人认为完成医学院学业后开家诊所轻而易举，其实并非如此。我觉得有些人就是由于恐惧而打消了私人开业的念头。

后记：信奉、接纳新技术才能跟上时代的步伐，电子信息时代给人们带来效益人所共知。医院信息系统(hospital information system,HIS)使从业人员和患者双方获益：信息准确、快捷，减少了差错的几率；环环紧扣，完善了临床路径；利于解决看病难的问题，远程会诊解决了偏远地区疑难病例的会诊；通过言语和视频指导下完成手术已成为事实，医院间、社区诊所或卫生所医院的联网，所带来的效益更显示了电子信息时代给我们带来的欣喜。

在互联网上输入一个关键词就可阅读无数条国内外相关信息：新型病毒和细菌的出现；局部地区传染病的爆发；新型疾病的临床表现，检验指标的变化，影像学的改变；研究发现；医疗技术的发展与应用。用互联网抗击SARS我们有过体验，适应科学技术的发展及时代的进步，才能推进医疗事业的发展。设备的添置和更新是硬件，医务人员知识、技能、理念综合素质是软件。两者同等重要，缺一不可。