Podcast
Freakonomics Radio
Wachter recalled writing The Digital Doctor a decade ago, a grumpy critique of the shift from paper to digital records and its mixed impact on clinicians and patients.
I wrote a book 10 years ago called The Digital Doctor, which was really about our transition from paper to digital. That book is a very grumpy book. It's like, how the hell did we go from paper to dig...
— Episode: 661. Can A.I. Save Your Life?
Episode: 661. Can A.I. Save Your Life?
Wachter recalled writing The Digital Doctor a decade ago, a grumpy critique of the shift from paper to digital records and its mixed impact on clinicians and patients.
I wrote a book 10 years ago called The Digital Doctor, which was really about our transition from paper to digital. That book is a very grumpy book. It's like, how the hell did we go from paper to digital and in some ways make things worse, in some ways make the lives of both patients and doctors harder?
Got rid of doctors' handwriting, the kind of perennial joke. You know, when I do an electronic prescription, it can land at Walgreens or CVS. That is massively better and safer. Two people can look at the chart at the same time. There are lots of good things about it, but it was not enough to transform medicine.