2023 (100 points, 116 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36903220
2020 (279 points, 319 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24336039
2018 (157 points, 109 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18381969
When I moved to New York I was surprised to find a dentist whose practice was much the same, though he did have a few computers around. He retired recently.
Computers no doubt can improve things; a lot of it seems like a no-brainer. But I'm starting to doubt that they're there to improve things.
There have been times I wished they would have done that.
I expect them to be resourceful rather than know everything off the top of their head.
Patient talks about symptoms, doctor returns a markdown-formatted prescription. Charge by the number of tokens.
The one important thing is to know how to work the system. Once you understand how it works, it's remarkably easy to guide your doctor or other service providers to do what you want. I talk a lot with the doctor and my spouse (who has taught me a lot), and I also read various online forums. Further I have no truly serious health problems that require intensive care, which could change things a lot.
I understand many people feel differently, and I in no way want to invalidate their subjective experience- if you prefer paper, or find computer doctors impersonal, or anything else, I'm not here to try to convince you otherwise.
mitchbob•2h ago
For me, the most interesting part is about 4/5 of the way in and starts with
> Some people are pushing back. Neil R. Malhotra is a boyish, energetic, forty-three-year-old neurosurgeon who has made his mark at the University of Pennsylvania as something of a tinkerer. He has a knack for tackling difficult medical problems. In the past year alone, he has published papers on rebuilding spinal disks using tissue engineering, on a better way to teach residents how to repair cerebral aneurysms, and on which spinal-surgery techniques have the lowest level of blood loss. When his hospital’s new electronic-medical-record system arrived, he immediately decided to see if he could hack the system.
A great example of participatory design.