TY  - JOUR
T1  - MEchanized history-taking
AU  - Weitberg AB
Y1  - 1979/06/01
N1  - 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630430090034
JO  - Archives of Internal Medicine
SP  - 714
EP  - 714
VL  - 139
IS  - 6
N2  - To the Editor.— 
    The article by Friedman et al in the Archives (138:1359-1361, 1978) describing an automated verbal medical history system raises some important ethical questions regarding the physician-patient relationship.Clearly, the need for such a device is in doubt. The authors state that the rationale for this technique is to "relieve the overburdened physician from some of the routine aspects of medical care delivery." History-taking is not a routine aspect of medical care and, should it tax the already "overburdened" physician, then I suggest that his practice be curtailed rather than mechanized.Fortunately, such automation has not been accepted in the past and I suggest that this new system also will be rejected. Making the system more efficient and easily accessible will not improve its acceptance, because it is the concept of mechanized historytaking that should alienate physicians. Many diagnoses must have been aided by hearing the patient's throaty
SN  - 0003-9926
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630430090034
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1979.03630430090034
ER  -