Using advanced text analytics to assess EHR inbox messages can help clinicians improve their workflow and eliminate unnecessary workloads, according to a study published Jan. 20 in the American Journal of Managed Care.
To identify physicians' different work themes and their relative share of workload, the research team trained an advanced text analytics model on primary care physicians' Epic EHR inbox messages. They used one year's worth of inbox messages for 184 physicians from 18 practices.
The model found that 50.8 percent of the EHR messages were about medical issues and 34.1 percent were about administrative matters.
The researchers said text analytics can provide a "data-driven methodology" to understand individual physicians' EHR inbox management, allowing them to make informed decisions on redesigning workflows.