Medical technology is de-skilling doctors, says Dr. Robert Klitzman

Medical advances are transforming medicine, but it may be making your physician less creative, author says.

Alex Castellanos : Medical technology has accelerated the problem of de-skilling, a reduction in the level of skill required to complete a task because some or all components of the task have been automated.

The hole in his lung was evidence of the bullet’s trajectory as it tracked through his chest cavity before exiting out the other side.

The advent of the electronic medical record has radically changed how physicians take a patient’s medical history.

The new systems give doctors access to a sometimes inordinate amount of information that often contains notes and test results from many different institutions.

It can disincentivize providers from taking their own patient histories as thoroughly when so much data can already be found in a patient's chart.

In situations that require improvisation, these foundational skills become irreplaceable.

On the whole, relying on medical technology increases patient safety, but there are trade-offs.

Doctor who relies on a learned relationship with the intimacies of their patients’ conditions can inspire more trust, lessen anxiety, and contribute to better emotional well-being.