Zigmond’s article in the July BJGP is brilliant.1 It describes to us exactly how personal contact has been replaced by computers. Although I am retired, I resent this modern intrusion. I have heard anecdotally of patients saying ‘he constantly looks at the computer screen’ or ‘she is typing on the keyboard, with her back turned from me, the patient. There is hardly any eye to eye contact!’ This continues after the patient has walked out of the surgery because the prescription has already been sent to the pharmacist electronically. This IT innovation has created a vacuum in the doctor–patient relationship. I had the privilege of attending Balint Seminars at the Tavistock Clinic, and I strongly believe in Balint’s doctrine of that relationship. Zigmond rightly says in his article, ‘... we have replaced that human heart with a mechanical one that can count but cannot value’. It seems gone are the days of the adage ‘Listen to the patient. They are giving you the diagnosis.’ Instead of listening, talking, and looking at the patient we might as well click on Google to do the job.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2016
