Electronic Medical Records and Physician Burnout: A Comparison by Specialty

Abstract

Research Question: What is the relationship between EMR usage and physician burnout? Does this relationship change according to specialty? Further, does EMR use influence overall work satisfaction among physicians?

Background and Significance: The widespread adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) has demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing the accessibility of healthcare records and centralizing information for physicians such as lab values from across specialties. However, as patient volumes in clinics increase and physicians take on increased clerical responsibilities, research shows that the use of EMRs may contribute to a higher incidence of physician burnout and dissatisfaction with work. Additionally, there is a notable increase in the time spent on documenting patient encounters. This study delves into the correlation between EMR usage patterns and physician job satisfaction. It also explores variations in satisfaction levels across different medical specialties, recognizing that the complexity of EMR system usage may vary among them.

Materials and Methods: A survey, developed specifically for this study and derived from existing literature, was distributed to physicians practicing in various specialties across the Fort Worth area, as well as throughout Texas and the entire nation. The survey aimed to explore physicians' perceptions of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) usage and its impact on their career satisfaction. The research employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures, incorporating Likert scale items and encouraging open responses that shared personal anecdotes related to both challenges and positive experiences with EMRs in healthcare. Subsequently, the collected survey data underwent analysis to identify overarching trends, and team statisticians conducted further examinations of both inter-specialty and intra-specialty patterns within responses.

Results: We anticipate that physicians specializing in particular fields may experience a lesser impact from the clerical burdens associated with Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), given the fewer unique clinical problems they typically encounter. Based on initial data collection, 69% of surveyed physicians expressed some degree of satisfaction with their current EMR practices, while 46% reported spending significant time addressing errors within the EMR system. Satisfaction levels with the EMR did not seem to differ significantly across specialties. Protected time for charting and the option to hire medical documentation staff were identified as perceived solutions to alleviate the clerical burden associated with documentation. About 31% of surveyed physicians reported experiencing burnout in their practices.

Conclusion: While potential areas for improvement within EMR systems were identified to reduce documentation time and errors, the limited response rate and data composition prevent definitive conclusions regarding the relationship between burnout and EMR use across specialties. This highlights the need for further exploration and consideration in the design process of EMR software, as well as the implementation of strategies to mitigate physician burnout and clerical workloads.