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In this Tech Tuesday episode of the Incubator podcast, Ben and Daphna engage in an enlightening conversation with Dr. Shama Patel, a neonatologist and clinical informaticist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Dr. Patel sheds light on the pressing issues surrounding electronic medical record (EMR) systems and documentation practices in neonatology. She addresses the problem of "note bloat," where progress notes become excessively long and filled with redundant information, contributing to physician burnout and potential errors in patient care. Dr. Patel shares her innovative work in creating a more efficient and relevant patient review screen in Epic, tailored explicitly for neonatology, and discusses the development of a new progress note template aimed at reducing documentation burden while improving accuracy.

The conversation delves into the importance of having dedicated informaticists in each medical division to continuously improve EMR workflows. Dr. Patel envisions a future where all NICU progress notes follow a standardized format, enabling better communication and data analysis. She emphasizes that improving EMR systems is an ongoing process that requires cultural change within medical teams. The hosts and Dr. Patel explore the potential for standardized documentation practices across NICUs to enhance patient care and facilitate research, as well as the future possibilities for using AI in medical documentation. The episode concludes by highlighting the career opportunities in clinical informatics for young medical professionals and the potential for this work to significantly impact patient care, physician well-being, and medical research.

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!