Do electronic health records affect the patient-psychiatrist relationship? A before & after study of psychiatric outpatients.

Background: A growing body of literature shows that patients accept the use of computers in clinical care. Nonetheless, studies have shown that computers unequivocally change both verbal and non-verbal communication style and increase patients' concerns about the privacy of their records. We found no studies which evaluated the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) specifically on psychiatric patient satisfaction, nor any that took place exclusively in a psychiatric treatment setting.

Developing a standardized cephalometric vocabulary: choices and possible strategies.

The science of cephalometry has been invaluable for guiding orthodontic diagnosis, treatment planning, and outcomes tracking. Though software packages easily calculate most cephalometric measurements, the ability to exchange cephalometric data between software packages is poorly developed. Hindering this effort is the lack of an agreed-upon standard for electronic exchange of cephalometric measurements.

Effect of electronic charting on the patient-psychiatrist relationship.

The impending implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) within Behavioral Health facilities at the University of New Mexico (UNM) offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of EMR usage on a psychiatric patient population. A pre-test and post-test design using a satisfaction survey will test for changes to the patient-psychiatrist relationship before and after implementation. To date, 48 subjects have participated in the pre-implementation portion of the study.