Abstract:
Progress in the past few decades in representing medical knowledge, along with the
availability of low-cost, powerful workstation computers, has increased interest in
encoding all medical records in electronic form. But despite the advantages of legibility,
access, and automated performance reviews, computerization may also restrict what
can be recorded and rigidify health care interactions with patients. Balancing the
beneficial and negative effects requires an understanding of medical practice, especially
the difference between human knowledge and today’s computer programs. Human perceptual
and conceptual capabilities bring an aspect of improvisation and reinterpretation
to every human action, which in general computers today cannot replicate. Designers
of medical record systems must consider the creative process by which descriptions
are generated by people, as well as the collaborative process by which descriptions
of past work are reinterpreted for guiding future decisions. This paper provides a
framework for understanding these issues, illustrated by design opportunities.
Keywords:
Human Learning - Medical Vocabulary - Objectivism - Holistic Analysis - Medical Practice
