Smart nation... are we becoming overdependant on IT?

The internet and smart devices have grown to such an extend that I cannot imagine a life without it. I am not a millenial.. yet I cannot imagine a life without emails or e-booking or my smart phone. We have grown so fast... that the world is now so small and convenient.

How about the world of medicine? When I first moved here from the UK's NHS system, I detested the fully computerised system in Singapore. I found myself spending more time typing and working through the patients' electronic records rather than talking to them. Today, I find this system convenient and useful especially in the critically ill, when they are too unwell to provide much history.

It is all so convenient. But are we becoming too dependant? Some thoughts:

1) Patients trust the IT system so much so that they are lulled into a sense of comfort that someone else knows what is happening to them... that all their records are available electronically.... hence the patients do not see the need to know about their own health. Many a times, these patients tell me.. "Its all in the records".. which irks me. How can we trust the computer wholly such that we do not know what's happening to our body? Or what if the network breaks down? Would you be unable to tell me what you are allergic too or what drugs you are on? I wish that my patients can have a health booklet they carry around (like the ones we had when we were in primary school). And after every consult, THEY have to write the change in medications themselves.... it may seem tedious... but maybe this is a start to empowering them? Medicine is not as paternalistic as it used to be. People want to know and they have the right to know... and only with knowledge, can one make effective changes.

2) As healthcare staff,  we may trust everything written in the electronic system. If we forget to clarify with them, there is a potential for errors to occur

3) The computer spoonfeeds us doses of medications. It acts as our safety net... but does our brain become 'lazier' in remembering them??

We need to be smart...before we can be a smart nation... And besides advocating for more advanced technology, we need to empower people to take charge of their health!!! If we can take charge of our wealth, why not our health???