What can technology do to, and for, family medicine?

Medical technology can be divided into information technology, diagnostic technology, and therapeutic technology. These technologies can enhance the care of patients in a family practice; they also have the potential to diminish or fragment family practice when the technologies can only be provided by specialists. While some family physicians have an aversion to technological advances, we believe it is imperative that family physicians participate in the development of technologies that enhance family practice and improve patient outcomes in primary care practice. These include electronic medical records, decision support systems, tools for managing medical information, and others. Criteria are presented to help determine when these new technologies should be adopted into practice.