The Role the Electronic Medical Record Plays in the Crisis of Provider Burnout, its Implications and Possible Solutions

Authors

James M. Myers, University of LynchburgFollow

Specialty

Family Medicine / Medical Informatics

Advisor

Dr. Nancy Reid MHA, DHSc, PA-C DFAAPA

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Objective: Integrating the electronic medical record (EMR) into clinics and hospital systems was intended to improve patient safety, create more legible notes, and store medical data in a centralized location for easy retrieval. However, EMR platforms have proven difficult and cumbersome to use and are major contributors to provider burnout. The aim of this review is to highlight the challenges created by the EMR and solutions that can help improve efficiency, provider satisfaction and ultimately reduce burnout.

Materials and Methods: Searches were conducted for articles published between 2015 and 2021 using the PubMed database. Research topics included medical provider burnout, burnout’s effect on patient care, the inefficiencies of the electronic medical record, time studies, scribe utilization, voice recognition software and potential solutions to improve provider engagement with medical technology

Results: In total between 90-100 literature pieces were reviewed and considered for this paper. Approximately ⅓ were eliminated because they were published before 2015. Another 20-25 were discarded as they solely focused on specialty providers (without primary care) and/or included medical students (although family and internal medicine residents were included). Finally, sources were eliminated if the complete article could not be obtained. The end result included 29 articles satisfying criteria.

Conclusion: Inefficiencies in EMR platforms have made the task of caring for patients difficult and time consuming. This has been a leading cause of burnout among clinicians. However, solutions exist in the form of intensive provider training, scribe utilization and/or speech recognition software which improve efficiency resulting in reduced potential burnout.

Recommended Citation

Myers JM. The Role the Electronic Medical Record Plays in the Crisis of Provider Burnout, its Implications and Possible Solutions. University of Lynchburg DMSc Doctoral Project Assignment Repository. 2021; 3(3).