Computer Nerds

So… the last two days I have been working a lot, and I have noticed something that was so funny to me, yet it left me so surprised and baffled (weird word, but it seemed to fit) at the same time.

Our clinic is in the process of switching to Electronic Medical Records. This means that all of the paper records (charts) that we have of all of our patients, are being scanned into the computer and then shredded. We are asking every patient, when they make an appointment, to log in online and fill out their health history on the computer.

I think it is great that we are going to use all computers now, but others would disagree.

This would get me to my point. A lot of patients seem to tell us that they do not have access to a computer. Others also tell us that they don’t know how to use a computer. And of course there are others that are extremely opposed to the idea of putting their information into the computer and they say things like “don’t you just have some papers that I could fill out?”…. well that would defeat the purpose……

Most of the people that say things like this are older. Which I would say is understandable, and of course I knew that this was true before, I just didn’t realize the extent of it.

We have computers that are available to help people on at our clinic. So when they tell us they need help, or don’t have a computer, we tell them to come early before their appointment and we will help them on the computer.

So they come, and I get to help them sometimes.

Basically, all you have to do on the computer, is read the questions, point and click. Easy right? Not for some.

I sit them down at the computer, put in their username and password, then I show them the mouse and how to click. Then, I let them try. I usually hear “no I can’t do that” or they will quickly move the mouse, attempt to click, and then give up…..

So, I end up sitting with them, reading the questions off the screen, and clicking for them… for up to an hour.

It doesn’t bother me much, except when I have to ask them questions that make it awkward ( I will spare you from what the questions are).

I find myself, being So surprised that there are so many people that still don’t use computers…. I realize that they are older, but my grandparents use the computer plenty… as do I think, my great grandparents!

You can teach someone to do the laundry, or to write, but when it comes to computers, to some, there is NO WAY that they are going to point and click that mouse.

With the way I have grown up, I wonder how people could live without a computer?? haha.

We have phone books at work that my coworkers use, and they were so surprised when I told the I have never used a phone book… and It is TRUE! I never have! It’s SO much easier to just look up the number and address online!!

Look how far we have come!

This was from 1984.

And now we even have Ipads

By the way, I really want one of those. I used to think it was so stupid, until I used one. Now I want one so bad!

I wonder how far we will get in the next 30-40 years!

I hope that I can keep up with the times, which I’m sure I will since Hans always wants to buy all the new gadgets out there, since he is such a computer nerd!