The electronic medical record and the loss of narrative

The use of the electronic medical record (EMR) facilitates many aspects of patient care as well as clinical and outcomes research. However, our thought processes are directed differently when collecting data to be entered into a structured database compared with when collecting data to construct a narrative of the patient and his or her complaints. While recognizing that the EMR will improve overall patient care, it is worthwhile examining aspects of patient-doctor interaction that may be sacrificed.