Perspectives

Physicians-in-Training: From Digital Devices to Digital Amnesia

Authors: Ali Seifi, MD, Michelle Rodriguez, JD, MD, Seyedmohammad Jafari, HBSc

Abstract

Digital amnesia is the inability to remember information entrusted to a digital device.1 Outsourcing memory is not a new concept. Committing information to an object for future reference can be traced back to the earliest pictograms and hieroglyphics on stones. Until recent decades, the size, accessibility, and portability of records did not promote reliance on them for information needed quickly and regularly. Recent technological advancements have transformed data storage, providing instant access to nearly unlimited information on the Internet through various portals, including pocket-sized cellular telephones. The result has been an increasing reliance on digital devices to serve as memory in managing care.

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