As electronic health records (EHRs) with decision support and evidence-based guidelines become more prevalent, some in the healthcare industry are concerned that there will be less room for physicians to exercise their own judgment.
Guidelines are limited in that they can only address a finite number of concerns and do not account for patient fears and desires, experts told Medical Economics. Because of that, physicians’ intuition will remain a valuable tool as they practice, particularly with respect to diagnosing health issues. One reason for this is that patients’ body language, tone and other factors, as well as their words, may convey important information that guidelines cannot account for.
When asking patients how much pain they are experiencing, for example, the same words may carry different meanings depending on the particular individual. A physician’s past experience with a patient can make it easier to interpret his or her response beyond the scope of guidelines.
Amy Compton-Phillips, MD, associate executive director of quality at the Permanente Foundation, noted that most checklists are designed to help physicians remember options that they should try. They are not intended to discourage them from exploring alternatives that are not mentioned. To that extent, they may support evidence-based patient care without preventing physicians from using their professional judgment.
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