A Journal of the American Medical Association research letter published this week found that female physicians tend to spend more time on all electronic health record metrics than their male counterparts.
In the study, researchers from the Duke University School of Medicine analyzed almost two years of outpatient EHR data, finding that female physicians spent an average of 33.4 more minutes in the EHR per day than their male counterparts – equivalent to three additional 40-hour work weeks per year.
"Despite the increased EHR burden among female physicians, we found no difference in patient satisfaction scores by sex," wrote the researchers.
WHY IT MATTERS
Although men and women had the same average number of patients per day, and the same percentage of days with appointments, female physicians spent an average of 102.2 minutes per day in the EHR system, compared with men's 68.8.
Women also had a higher number of minutes in the system per day outside the hours of 7 AM to 7 PM; on unscheduled days; and outside of scheduled hours. The differences remained significant even after stratification by surgical and medical specialties.
And yet, researchers observed, there were no differences between genders in patient satisfaction or efficiency scores.
"These data suggest that measuring time spent on paid work without accounting for time outside of scheduled hours may underestimate female physician work effort," said the researchers.
These differences in use rate could also lead to burnout discrepancies, given the association of burnout with high EHR use.
THE LARGER TREND
EHR use rates and patterns have remained a subject of fascination for years, particularly given the middling EHR satisfaction among many clinicians. A Mayo Clinic study from 2019 linked EHR usability with clinician burnout, with the American Medical Association calling EHR redesign a "national imperative" in response.
A recent report, however, found that frontline workers said they spent more time in the EHRs than on patient care – an especially troubling statistic amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
"While it is encouraging that so many frontline professionals in healthcare have access to technology, the picture that emerges is one of skill gaps and a lack of support," read the report.
ON THE RECORD
"The optimal amount of EHR time investment remains unknown," researchers in the JAMA letter observed. "Health systems should prioritize investment in time-saving interventions, such as increased staff support or EHR efficiency training, to diminish EHR burden for all physicians, thus mitigating sex disparities."
Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
