Implementing Measurement Science for Electronic Health Record Use

Abstract

How did it happen that the electronic health record (EHR) emerged as a concern regarding clinicians' wellbeing, and what is the path forward? Increasingly, evidence indicates that the EHR is imposing an intolerable burden on clinicians and may be degrading, rather than elevating, clinical care. A study of EHR use measurements across 2 vendor products found that ambulatory, nonteaching physicians (n = 573) spent more than 5 hours on the EHR for every 8 hours of scheduled clinical time. 1 Clinicians trained in patient care are locked into hours of screen time to complete mandatory clerical and documentation tasks, often unrelated to the quality of the care.

Topics & Concepts