Opinion: For want of a form, a baby’s life could be lost
Instead of vilifying medical paperwork, we need to make it better, closing the gap between the documentation patients need and what doctor's offices can provide.
Doctors and nurses often decry paperwork, and for good reason: Some spend almost half their working hours inputting information into the electronic health record, and many say the constant barrage of paperwork causes frustration and burnout. So I wasn’t surprised when I asked the medical director of a Baltimore clinic when he manages to complete a particular form for his patients and he said, “After the workday,” eyeing the paperwork piling up on his desk. Though I did wonder how long after the workday he meant.
The form I asked about is the Maryland Prenatal Risk Assessment (MPRA). It’s
