Personalization Could End EHR Physician Burnout

Physician burnout is closely tied to the under-performance of EHR software. Learn how customization of a physician's work space can help alleviate that burnout.

Many might believe that overwork is the sole contributor to physician burnout, a problem over 40% of physicians claim they’re dealing with. However, the main culprit contributing to burnout is poorly operating EHRs.

A recent study conducted by the Mayo Clinic surveyed 30,456 physicians, asking them to grade from 0-100 the effectiveness and usability of their EHR software. The average grade was 45.9%, concluding that there’s a strong connection between symptoms of burnout and poor EHR performance.

EHR Physician Burnout

Electrical medical records were originally implemented to make the note taking process more efficient. Unfortunately, EHRs ask physicians to input heaps of data for record keeping and billing. They do so to such an extent that a majority of caregivers feel impacted in their ability to communicate with patients.

For many experiencing EHR burnout, eye contact with patients becomes less commonplace as EHRs demand more and more of their attention. This can be demoralizing for someone who assumed this profession to help and to heal.

A Light in the Tunnel

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have been testing an EHR add-on that allows physicians to personalize how information is categorized on screen. MedWise, as the add-on is being called, would give physicians the ability to organize information into curated “tiles” that could be color coded to their preference. This would give physicians an easier time navigating the unkempt jungle of windows they traverse daily to care for patients.

And while the add-on isn’t available yet due to it still being Beta tested, it still opens the floor for some interesting discussion about how providers can personalize their workspaces to bypass EHR fatigue?

RFID Log Ins

Discussion surrounding EHR burnout centers around cutting down on clicks/logins. Every time a physician meets with a patient, orders a prescription, or adds to their notes, they need to log into the EHR.

Addressing the problem of “death by a thousand logins” should be a pressing concern for those looking to combat burnout. Fortunately, customizing your facility’s medical computers with authentication hardware can significantly cut the number of clicks needed to log in.

With an RFID scanner, physicians can log in with a swipe of an ID card. A small change that adds up when considering how many hundreds of times physicians log into EHR software daily.

Open up Some Monitor Real Estate

With larger monitors, staff can have several preferred windows open at a time—customizing their digital space to fit their individual work flow. Not only does this cut down on clicks, it prevents information overload that can easily occur when dozens of pages and charts filled with information bombard a physician 9 hours into their work day.

Implement Voice Recognition

Caretakers like to elaborate on symptoms and treatment methods so better care can be administered. Unfortunately, writing these extensive notes in an EHR eats away at a physician’s shift.

While not for everyone, voice recognition tools can help doctors elaborate at length without having to manually type. Better yet, caretakers can couple voice recognition notes with a computer-assisted physician documentation solution such as Dragon Medical Advisor.

Tools like DMA analyze physician notes in real time and suggest edits that ensure records are complete and compliant. Instead of recording a novel’s worth of notes in front of patients, a provider can take quick notes and then elaborate vocally afterwards in conjunction with DMA for a more comprehensive EHR record.

Nebraska Medicine implemented this strategy and noticed 71% of their users said the quality of their documentation improved significantly. 50% also said the system saved them 30+ minutes a day.

Conclusion

The more conscious we are of the issues healthcare providers face, the better we can tackle them and provide some care for the professionals that sacrifice so much to care for us.

If you would like to learn more about how personalization of your medical computers can help turn the tides on physician burnout, contact a Cybernet expert today.