Pediatric practices usually look a bit different from other medical practices in that they often include childlike elements. Sometimes even their websites reflect this: featured crayon artwork, handwritten-like fonts, and exhuberent silly humor (I love the sound of children’s laughter that automatically plays when you visit www.cooperpediatrics.com).
Pediatric EMRs and pediatric EMR workflow systems are important visual elements of the patient-pediatrician encounter. Toys in the corner, cartoons on the wall, and a continuously playing “The Little Mermaid” DVD are all reassuring signs that this is a child-friendly environment. Children see what we see and focus on what we focus on, and that includes EMRs. In other words, pediatric EMRs and pediatric EMR workflow systems unavoidably participate in this ecosystem of meaning.
But the following three were my favs of all time: Check out that last one with a martini and a cigar. Appropriate? Perhaps not. But when we offered to change it, well, it almost caused a mutiny.
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Immunizations (OK, no child would likely recognize that this is a virus called a bacteriophage, but pediatrician users do seem to llike it) |
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Gravidity and Parity (Not sure about the educational implications of this one, but it’s still a favorite) |
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Adult Social History (We did this button custom for a family medicine physician. Another user claims he bought the EHR *because* he liked this button. His first issue to support was “Give me my martini and cigar button back!”) |