Learning to use the electronic medical record system was very frustrating for me, and really for anyone over age 50. i.e. those of us not born with a wireless symbol tattooed on our butt. Although I eventually got the hang of it, there were times that I felt like the darn thing was deliberately trying to drive me mad.
“Someday I’m gonna write a book about it”, I said over and over. After a couple of years I finally told myself to put up or shut up. Several friends read my first draft, a “novella” as my brother would annoyingly refer to it, and they told me to develop the characters more. It was great advice and allowed me to tell the human side of being a doctor in a rapidly changing medical world.
Many of the secondary characters in the book are named after dogs belonging to myself and to our friends and family. Ironically, these characters are some of the most genuine and endearing.
Several occurrences in the book were based on real-life events from my career, and especially my training in inner city Brooklyn and the Bronx. Taking inspiration from films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and I, Robot, this story takes a look into a world where putting our complete faith and trust into technology can go wrong. Dr. Cochran’s flashbacks to her “Third World” residency in Brooklyn allowed me to tell these stories, both funny and gut wrenching.
Adam Spitz 