5 tips to help you decide which technology is right for you

“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.” — Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft

Can technology make your life as a doctor easier? Absolutely. But as new technologies become more embedded in our health-care system, how do you make sense of all the options out there? If you’re already using an EMR, what add-ons could be the work hack you’re looking for? Do AI scribes live up to all the hype?  

As a practising family physician in Ottawa for 20 years, Dr. Chandi Chandrasena has asked herself the same questions. The leader in digital health and OntarioMD’s chief medical officer offers these five tips for choosing the tools that are right for you:

1. Do a 360 of your clinic workflow. You can’t figure out what would work for you without understanding your pain points. Look at your practice and map the current workflow. Get a large piece of paper and a marker and map it out. Be thorough and list everything you do — the day before you see patients, the day of and the day after
2. Look for the pain points. Look at your map and identify the problems. What are the inefficiencies, the bottlenecks and the delays? Then ask yourself, "Are there any manual processes that can be automated?"
3. Figure out what technology could do to help. Ask yourself, "Is there an existing technology that could be used here?" Then look at ways to use technology to find time or as a possible solution. Can you delegate? Can you eliminate steps? What about a patient portal or online booking? What about sending e-forms ahead of time to your patients? How can you improve your documentation process? Maybe it’s by incorporating an AI scribe tool
4. Go ahead and give it a try. Implement the new technology and changes slowly. Monitor and tweak as you go. The key is not just introducing the technology, but making sure it integrates into your workflow, improves your efficiency and doesn’t cause more stress or disruption. Learn how to use it and train any staff member who can help. Evaluate the tool from a patient perspective, nurse and staff perspective. See if your office manager can use it
5. Be prepared to stop. Abandon the new technology if it’s not working, if it’s becoming a burden or if the price is too high. As you decide whether to keep it or scrap it, remember to engage your clinic and get input from your staff

Wendy McCann is a North Bay-based writer.