Emoji in Medical Records: A New Way to Communicate or a Risk?

In the world of medicine, emojis are sneaking into places they aren't supposed to be. At Michigan Medicine, doctors aren't allowed to use symbols in medical records. Yet, a recent study found thousands of emojis hiding in patient messages, visit summaries, and post-visit instructions. Most of these emojis were happy faces, but others were more puzzling, like the eye or the pill. Emojis are still rare in clinical records. Between 2020 and 2024, fewer than two notes in every 100, 000 included them. But that number is growing. By the end of 2025, more than 10 notes per 100, 000 had emojis. This raises questions. Could emojis help patients understand better? Or could they cause confusion and even legal trouble? Some doctors think emojis can add emotion and context to medical communication. They can show feelings that words can't. But others worry. Emojis aren't standardized. Different people can interpret them in different ways. For example, a thumbs-up might mean "I agree" or just "I saw this. "The study found that 60% of emojis in medical records showed emotion. The rest were informational or symbolic. The emotional emojis are the most concerning. The difference between a frown, a grin, or a wink can be tiny but significant. Different age groups might understand them differently. After the study, Michigan Medicine's health information team reinforced its ban on symbols, including emojis. But is this the right move? Should doctors be allowed to use emojis for informal communication? More research is needed to understand how patients interpret them. Emojis in medical records are a hot topic. Some journals even rejected article titles with emojis. As technology evolves, the medical world must decide: Are emojis a helpful tool or a risky distraction?