From varying rates of usage among physicians specialties to best practices for curbing burnout, here are key insights from six recent studies on EHRs.
1. While there is substantial variation in time spent on the EHR based on physician specialty, physicians practicing gastroenterology and internal medicine are most active in the electronic systems. Conversely, physicians in surgical specialties, sports medicine, neurology and psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology spend the least amount of time in the EHR.
2. Black patients are more likely than white patients to find language in their clinician notes that indicates their physicians do not believe them.
3. There appears to be a significant gender difference in EHR use, with female physicians spending about 30 minutes more per day in EHRs compared to their male counterparts.
4. After analyzing dozens of studies on EHR-related burnout, researchers from Gainesville-based University of Florida came up with four recommendations to reduce burnout: Share the load with office staff; revisit policies that can lower documentation; have an IT support team; and collaborate on design.
5. A recent EHR log analysis showed that clinicians engage with unsolicited genetic test results only 1 percent of the time, suggesting that most clinicians don't use genetic data in medical decision-making.
6. Excessive documentation requirements for EHRs often contribute to clinician burnout. Enhancing the existing functions of EHRs may be better than transitioning to newly developed programs in the future.