EHRs leading to physician burnout

Editor's Note

Physicians are beginning to dread what some are calling “EHR pajama time”--the 1 to 2 hours they now have to spend at home finishing up their electronic health record (EHR) documentation after their kids have gone to bed, notes the ACS Surgery News, reporting on a session at the annual meeting of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in Las Vegas.

Data on the impact of EHR systems on physician workflow and satisfaction are beginning to accumulate. One study found that physicians are spending 38 hours a month after hours doing data entry work−adding an extra week of work each month doing documentation between 7 pm and 7 am. Other studies have shown physicians are spending 44% of their day doing data entry work and 28% of the day with their patients.

Electronic health records (EHRs) have not lived up to their promise to help streamline patient care and, instead, have added hours to most physicians’ days, the report notes.

LAS VEGAS – Doctors are dreading what some have started to call “EHR pajama time.” “That’s the hour or two that physicians are spending – every night after their kids go to bed – finishing up their documentation, clearing out their in-box,” according to Dr. Christine Sinsky, vice president of professional satisfaction at the American Medical Association. At a session held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Dr. Sinsky spoke about how electronic health records have not lived up to their promise of helping streamline patient care...