Tampa General Hospital

Tampa General Hospital uses technology to optimize patient care without losing the human touch. Peter Chang, MD, chief medical informatics officer with Tampa General, remembers the scene vividly. The sibling of a child being cared for at TGH had drawn a picture of the consultation room. "He created a drawing of the doctor facing a computer screen, with his back to the family," Dr. Chang recalls. "That child's impression drove home the need for us to personalize the sophisticated medical technologies we use daily." Changing that perspective — of providers with their backs to patients — was at the center of Dr. Chang's approach to designing the exam rooms in the new Tampa General Medical Group Healthpark location. The exam rooms are outfitted with semicircular meeting tables and wall- mounted large television screens to encourage conversations between patients and doctors. In the coming year, screens will be equipped with interactive technology to let the patient engage with their medical chart before the visit even begins. "While he or she is waiting to be seen, each patient can review their most recent medical data and prepare questions to ask the doctor," Dr. Chang says. "That kind of exchange is invaluable. The more information we receive from patients, the more solutions we can offer." OFFICE VISITS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND Technology allows patients to have a live, face-to-face doctor visit using their smartphone, computer or tablet. The TGH Virtual Care app allows patients to see board-certified physicians 24/7 and communicate in real time through voice and video technology for a $49 fee. "A doctor can tell a lot about a person's health from that simple video interaction," Dr. Chang says. "Based on that initial contact, we can prescribe medication or refer the patient to a higher level of care, such as a primary care provider. Our TGH Virtual Care app is a very convenient option." When mystery symptoms arise, a quick web search can be tempting. In fact, the Pew Research Center estimates that 35 percent of adults have searched symptoms to diagnose themselves, with less than half of those diagnoses confirmed by a doctor. "There's a danger when you self-diagnose or turn to over- the-counter options that might make a more serious condition worse," warns Peter Chang, MD, chief medical informatics officer with Tampa General Hospital. "Different conditions have similar presenting symptoms, and talking to a doctor is important for ruling some conditions out." Dr. Chang encourages people to educate themselves, then follow up with their primary care doctor. Visit 4healthier.me/TGMG-Docs and search for the primary care provider who's right for you. TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE PATIENT CARE The Dangers of Self-Diagnosing 5 winter 2017 / tgh.org

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