Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May 6:2019:136-144.
eCollection 2019.

Burnout and EHR use among academic primary care physicians with varied clinical workloads

Brian Tran  1 , Abigail Lenhart  1 , Rachel Ross  1 , David A Dorr  1
Affiliations

Burnout and EHR use among academic primary care physicians with varied clinical workloads

Brian Tran et al. AMIA Jt Summits Transl Sci Proc. .

Abstract

Burnout is becoming increasingly prevalent among primary care physicians. Recent studies have attributed electronic health record (EHR) related tasks as a potential source of physician burnout. In this cross-sectional study, EHR use was compared to self-reported burnout for 107 faculty physicians at 10 university-affiliated primary care clinics. Physicians who self-reported burnout spent more time managing their inbox and in the EHR after hours. Burnout was associated with lower rates of same day chart closure, longer completion time for inbox messages, and more incomplete messages. Burnout, while related to overall workload, had a complex relationship with EHR use, which was influenced by but could not wholly explained by clinical workload. Our results suggest that burnout is less prevalent with less allocated clinical time, however, more research is necessary to identify the optimal balance between clinical duties and academic pursuits. Segmenting providers based on relative workload to determine variation within similar groups may help optimize EHR use.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Self-Reported Burnout and Clinical Full Time Equivalents
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Self-Reported Burnout and Number of Years Practicing at Current Clinic
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
How do providers spend their time in the EHR?
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Time spent in EHR per appointment
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Percent of Same Day Chart completion
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Median time spent managing inbox for each scheduled day.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Inbox Management – Results Messages
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Inbox Management – Patient Call Messages
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American College of Physicians. Physician Well-being and Professional Satisfaction. [Online]. Available from: https://www.acponline.org/practice-resources/physician-well-being-and-pr...
    1. American Medical Association. Steps Forward: Preventing Physician Burnout. [Online].; 2018. [cited 2018. Available from: https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/module/2702509.
    1. Shanafelt T, Hasan O, Dyrbye L, Sinsky C, Satele D, Sloan J. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2015;90(12):1600–1613. - PubMed
    1. Arndt B, Beasley J, Watkinson M, Temte J, Tuan W, Sinsky C. Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event Log Data and Time-Motion Observations. The Annals of Family Medicine. 2017;15(5):419–426. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sinsky C, Colligan L, Li L, Prgomet M, Reynolds S, Goeders L. Allocation of Physician Time in Ambulatory Practice: A Time and Motion Study in 4 Specialties. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2016;165(11):753. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources