The EMR has changed the doctor-patient duet into a ménage-à-trois

Abstract: It’s not so much whether one EMR is better than another — they all have their breathtaking assets and their snarling annoyances. What is really becoming clear to me is the uncomfortable realization that there are actually three of us in the room now: the patient, me, and Epic. What started out as a tool — a database to store information more efficiently than the paper chart — has inserted itself as a member of the medical team. What used to be a tango between the doctor and patient is now a troika.