Reflections during Research

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As I pour over the endless volumes of patient notes, in search for that elusive patient who might meet the criteria for a retrospective study that I am hoping to carry out, it occurs to me that I really enjoy being a part of this tradition. The stacks of paper go back years, sometimes decades, and some are yellowing, and in the most dated formats ever, hand-written, or typed out on a typewriter! But the way we have investigated patients remains the same. The Presenting Complaint, a Past Medical History, a Family History and Social History, a list of medications and their allergies. It seems like it has always been that way, passed on from one generation of doctors to the next.

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