"Situations arise in every emergency department that demand making critical decisions rapidly. Frequently, little or nothing is known about the patient, not even drug allergies. Further acquisition of accurate historical data is not always assured. Patient safety would surely benefit, if reliable medical history could be obtained on any individual using a computer drive. This is the promise of the Patient Whiz, and it will revolutionize medical practice, regardless of specialty."
Rudy Jeffries, M.D. – Emergency Room Physician
"It would greatly improve patient care and shorten the time it takes to get important information."
Tony Brown, M.D. – Emergency Room Physician
"From an emergency medicine point of view it would be terrific for both efficiency and patient safety because a big part of our job is documenting patient history and a lot of our sources for that are unreliable or inaccurate."
Tom O'Mara, M.D. – Emergency Room Physician
"It's a good idea! If information is updated and accurate, it will be safer for patients and reduce medical errors."
Bassim Badro, M.D. – Cardiologist
"I think people should have their records on CD Rom or zip drive. It would minimize duplication of studies."
Debajit Roy, M.D. – Cardiologist
"In lung diseases it would be very helpful to know what has established the diagnosis, and a lot of time we don't have that information. A lot of patients don't know what medicine they are on. It would be essential to have old records."
Stuart Jacobs, M.D. – Pulmonologist/Critical Care Physician
"It will maximize patient safety and expedite patient care."
Aaron Rabinovich, M.D. – Surgeon
"We are always looking for old test results. They help us manage medication and adjust dosages. They also help us not repeat the same tests over and over again. Furthermore, they help us differentiate different types of kidney disease."
Shahab Khan, M.D. – Nephrologist
"Having a complete and accurate medical history at the time of the first patient encounter would be extremely helpful for all physician specialties. Summarizing a patient’s medical history in this format would reduce the time a physician spends reviewing and collecting this information and increase the time available to spend with the patient. It would also reduce time spent asking redundant questions and eliminate the need for duplicating tests which have recently been performed, resulting in lower medical expenses. Most importantly, it would promote patient safety and allow for a patient centered approach."
Milan Sanghavi, M.D. – Neurology/Neurophysiology
"If patients had their records in their wallets it would be a wonderful improvement in our ability to take care of patients and decrease medical errors."
Muhammad Dughly, M.D. – Neurologist
"Many patients are referred to me because the antibiotics they were on are not working. The patients do not remember the antibiotics. They do not have culture or lab results either. I think it would be easier and faster if they have the records."
"The same thing applies to patients with HIV. They do not know CD4 count, viral load results, do not remember the medications they were on in the past. They have been to different clinics in the past. Resistance to medications is common now and it is very important to know all the information before starting new regimen. It would be easier for the physicians and great for the patients if they carry the information."
Mohan Amlani, M.D. – Infectious Disease Specialist"
"It would make it a whole lot easier to see patients. It avoids duplication. The time in retrieving records would be reduced and it's more convenient for the patient."
Harvinder Singh, M.D. – Hematologist/Oncologist
"The risk of developing allergies is based on parents' history of allergies. It would be great to have the Patient Whiz available during the initial consultation to efficiently access their family history. More importantly, it will provide information on prior medical visits, including asthma exacerbations and infections."
Rosalyn Baker, M.D., M.H.S Allergist/Immunologist
"Having immediate access to medical records will help a lot. Knowing a patient's past medical history will help doctors make a diagnosis. It will show you the next thing to do and it will help you avoid ordering unnecessary tests. It will also help you pick up potential medication interactions."
Kunmi Majekodunmi, M.D. – General Internal Medicine Specialist.
Question: "How would the it impact your practice if your patients carried a Patient Whiz in their wallets?" (Note, this survey reflects opinions of the flash drive version since it was done PRIOR to release of the Patient Whiz App.)
