The article by Jeremy Smith en­titled “The unique EMR needs of various specialties and subspecialties” [BCMJ 2009;51:337-338 [8]] highlights the current dysfunctional nature of medical practice in BC. There really should not be such a wide variety of perspectives and there should be more in common with the patterns of practice of various “types” of physicians. 

The problem with the three perspectives presented is that the EMR is the patient’s document, not the physician’s. We are the ones who come and go from the patient’s life. Most people will have three or more family physicians over the course of their lifetime and may have several interactions with subspecialists and possibly hospitals along the way. Ideally the EMR should keep track of all of the episodes in the patient’s medical history and be available to all types of physicians (with the patient’s consent), when the need arises.

Perhaps viewing the EMR from the perspective of the needs of the patient might produce a more practical approach to this option for record keeping.
—Douglas J. Courtemanche, MD
Vancouver