Electronic Health Record Usability and Its Association With Documentation Burden and Clinician Burnout
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68041/jmmhr.v1i1/02Keywords:
Electronic Health Records, EHR Usability, Documentation Burden, Clinician Burnout, Healthcare ProfessionalsAbstract
Background: Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are a crucial part of the healthcare landscape in the modern era, fostering better access to patient information and facilitating clinical decision-making. The purpose of this study was to explore the usability of EHRs and its relationship with documentation burden and clinician burnout. Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study and conducted between February and July 2022 at a tertiary care teaching hospital with a sample size of 250 health professionals (physicians, residents, and nurses). Participants filled out a structured, self-administered questionnaire covering the following domains: Demographic characteristics, EHR use, usability of EHRs, documentation burden, and clinician burnout (IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0, p value < 0.05 as significant). Results: Clinical experience among the participants was 9.1 ± 6.4 years and their mean age was 36.2 ± 8.1 years. 48.4% of participants reported being moderately satisfied with EHR usability, 44.0% moderately burdened with documentation, and 43.2% moderately burned out. Clinician burnout was significantly associated with profession, clinical experience, daily use of EHRs, formal training in EHRs, and technical problems, with a p value < 0.05. Increased clinician burnout was strongly associated with decreased EHR usability (χ² = 29.84, p < 0.001) and increased documentation burden (χ² = 26.91, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Usability of EHRs and burden of documentation were significantly linked to clinician burnout. Enhancing the usability of EHRs, reducing documentation workload, and improving user training and technical support could positively impact clinician well-being and healthcare outcomes.References
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