Connecting with your patients despite the EHR

The following tips can help you to keep the EHR from dominating your patient visits.

• Focus on the patient when you enter the exam room. Avoid looking at your computer or typing until you’ve engaged in a little small talk.
• Know when to put away the keyboard. When a patient is telling you about his or her failing marriage, feelings of depression, or debilitating symptoms, show that you are listening and thinking rather than simply typing.
• Admit if you are not comfortable with your EHR. It’s better to tell the patient that you are still adjusting than to appear annoyed or fixated on the computer.
• Inform the patient when the EHR needs your full attention. It’s OK to say, “It’s difficult for me to converse and type at the same time. Let me take a moment to make a few notes.”

Adapted from “Staying Connected: Eight Tips for Mindful Office Visits With an EHR.”