IT sibei Ho!

Recently my friend who was in charge of the IT implementation of his department told me that the new electronic medical record system is sibei solid.

Well, Dr Og suay suay kennah do IT systems in hospital many years. All I can say is that my youth was wasted (sob sob...) and the time spent evaluating IT systems for the hospital could have been better spent surfing the net for boh liao things (at least that would have brought me some joy tio boh?).

Anyway, since we good friends, I entertain him and ask him why so solid leh?

"You know ar, this time the system hospital want to buy is very customisable. Last time all the systems have to input this input that but this one no need! Means ar the old old lokuns who only want to write a few words in the electronic notes can be easily done. So the lao lokun can just type 'NAD' for notes can liao wor!"

Apparently, this current system costs a few million bucks unlike the cheap cheap ones we evaluated in the past. Understandably, it is more time consuming to be typing notes rather than writing them on paper when seeing patients.

Hmmmm, but to pay few millions so that we can over ride the system to type less...

Hmmmm, nothing that can't be done with simple paper and pen...

IT sibei ho ar!

I rest my case.

Binary Confusion Part II

"If there is a part I, there will always be a part II"

One night an old man brought his even older mother for admission. I asked him,

Og: Uncle you got her previous medical records or not.
Grumpy Old Man: Yes.
Og: Can I have a look.
Grumpy Old Man: All at home.
Og: Hmmmm.... ok.... maybe you bring tomorrow. It will really help us.
Grumpy Old Man: Isn't it all in the computer???
Og: Er... this is her first admission here, it will help if I have her records from the other hospital.
Grumpy Old Man: Isn't it all connected liao? Read in the papers. Can't you just retrieve it from the computers?

NO! It is not all in the computers!

Dr Og really misses the good old days when we used to WRITE discharge summaries and prescriptions ON PAPER. Don't get me wrong, I embrace technology. Otherwise this site will not exist. But in the good old days we didn't have to endure down time, paper jams and computer records that are suppose to exist but somehow do not.

Lets face it, the first expenditure to be cut in hospitals will be the IT funding in times of economic down turn and Monkey Republic cannot sell enuff bananas. Which is the reason why til this day we are still not using optical mouse. Hell, Dr Og even have to spent some good time servicing the ball of the mouse (when I can be carrying balls somewhere else).

There will be a Part III!

Binary Confusion Part 1

Computer: Your password is overdue. Please change your password.
Doc: Again? $%#@!!!
(types):******
Computer: Your new password must be different from your old one. Please reenter your password.
Doc: Wah liao.....
(types):******
Computer: Your new password must be different from your previous 4 passwords. Please reenter your password.
Doc: Chow turtle!!!!!!

You see, I have passwords for at least 5 different programs from prescription to claiming allowances. Each has to be changed periodically. I was told I should not use English words or birth dates or my name. Safe passwords should be alpha-numeric and make no sense. Eg: s1fg355s9
So every now and then I have to call the techies,
Doc: Ehh, I forgot my password again...... can reset?

Yup, these days at State General, everything is (suppose to be) electronic and paperless. Sometimes it is quite amusing to see the old profs struggle with computers. But it is really not funny when the system breaks down on you in the middle of a busy clinic.

Doc calls tech line: Hello. System down again.....
Techie: Can you close the window and open again?
Doc: basket, I thought the open close window thing is a joke?
Techie: hahaha, yah. But really, can you shut down your comp and restart.
Doc: But the error message says SQL down leh, think its your central server.
Techie: nevermind that, just shut down, Window(TM) works in mysterious ways.
Doc: I very busy wor, patients all popping their head in liao, how long this gonna take?
Techie: ok, ok I come down.

Techie who is a young punk with yellow hair comes down.
Techie: hi Doc, My name Beckham. You wait ar!
He starts running norton antivirus.
Doc: Basket, server problem why you run norton?
Techie: thats the protocol mah. First open and close window, then run antivirus. After that run ad-aware lah! If still cannot call troubleshooter in India lor!