Female physicians experience burnout more frequently than men, report spending more time doing administrative duties and spend more time working off the clock, according to a June 15 report by EHR vendor Athenahealth.
The study collected data from 799 physicians who use a variety of EHR vendors. Data was collected between Oct. 13 and Dec. 23.
Six study findings:
- Twenty-eight percent of physicians reported feeling burned out at least once per week, and physicians spend an average of 13.5 hours per week on tasks other than patient care.
- More than a quarter of physicians (29 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that their practice is set up to minimize administrative burden. Sixty-one percent of physicians said their organization has not taken steps in the last 12 months to curb physician burnout.
- More than half of women (51 percent) reported feeling burned out a few times a month, compared to 43 percent of men. Women were also less likely to feel their workload is manageable and less likely to believe they would be with their organization in the next three years.
- Women reported that administrative tasks accounted for 29 percent of their working time, compared with 25 percent for men.
- Women spent more time working at home, with 19 percent of work time conducted at home, compared to 14 percent for men.
- Physicians aged 65 and older reported feeling burnout less frequently than younger physicians (35 percent and 48 percent, respectively). Older physicians were more likely to report they have enough time to spend with each patient and their workload is manageable.