The Right Dose of Technology Helps the Medicine Go Down
The paper mentions those annoying alerts that constantly pop up onscreen as he orders a patient's dosage. "I honestly haven't paid attention to a pop-up alert in years," says Halpern, who like many doctors believes that alerts should be limited only to those that might help avoid a serious medical error. "I just click right through them as quickly as possible and I think most doctors do the same thing," he says. (Ed. One more reason that we need a sound national research agenda geared toward improving our clinical decision support capabilities.)

No longer lost in translation
Scientists unveiled technology that makes it possible to speak one language, yet be understood in another. In addition, they exhibited "translation goggles" that displayed his words on a miniature virtual screen, seen only by the wearer of these souped-up eyeglasses. His speech was translated from spoken English into Spanish text, almost like having automatic movie subtitles for the real world. (Ed. Such a system could revolutionize the practice of medicine in many communities.)

Clinical decision support and appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing: a randomized trial
Clinical Decision Support Systems implemented in rural primary care settings reduced overall antimicrobial use and improved appropriateness of antimicrobial selection for acute respiratory tract infections.

Kaiser Permanente's experience of implementing an electronic medical record: a qualitative study
Seven key findings emerged: users perceived the decision to adopt the electronic medical record system as flawed; software design problems increased resistance; the system reduced doctors' productivity, especially during initial implementation, which fuelled resistance; the system required clarification of clinical roles and responsibilities, which was traumatic for some individuals; a cooperative culture created trade-offs at varying points in the implementation; no single leadership style was optimal--a participatory, consensus-building style may lead to more effective adoption decisions, whereas decisive leadership could help resolve barriers and resistance during implementation; the process fostered a counter climate of conflict, which was resolved by withdrawal of the initial system. (Ed. This study reports on a previous implementation, not the currently successful Epic implementation.)

We have the technology, now tell us how to use it
Office workers waste up to a month a year trying to figure out how to use their computers properly because modern technology is so complicated, a new study warns. The survey of 500 workers and 300 bosses found that workers spent 10 per cent of their time battling against computer programmes or getting to grips with phones, handheld devices and other gadgets. (Ed. Is it any wonder that clinicians are also struggling with various clinical computer applications?)

Privacy vs Usability: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients' Experiences With Secure Internet Communication With Their General Practitioner
Despite a perceived need for secure electronic patient-physician communication systems, security barriers may diminish their overall usefulness. A dual approach is necessary to improve this situation: patients need to be better informed about security issues, and, at the same time, their experiences of using secure systems must be studied and used to improve user interfaces. (Ed. Access to the system required the user to open a Web browser and log on to the MedAxess “client” from the home page of the physician's office. After submitting the first password and passing the first log-on, in the second page, the user requested the system to generate a second, instant password to be sent to his or her cell phone as an SMS "text" message.

Chilling News About Medical Privacy (Ed. No matter what your viewpoint on this issue!)
The benefits that health information technology can bring to the healthcare system cannot be realized unless Americans have confidence that ironclad privacy protections are in place for online medical records, databases, and networks. Among other ideas, this petition states that "I should never be forced to give up my right to privacy in order to get medical treatment." (Ed. If legislation like this were to pass, it could mean that physicians would be forced to treat patients when all they know is that they are missing potentially vital inoformation."