Administrative work consumes one-sixth of U.S. physicians' working hours and lowers their career satisfaction

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Practice Management
• Physician Workforce Studies

Background:

• Physicians frequently report administrative tasks as a significant burden.
• Quantifying the time spent on non-clinical duties is crucial for understanding physician workload.
• Previous research has not comprehensively assessed the impact of administrative tasks on career satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the average weekly time U.S. physicians dedicate to administrative tasks.
• To examine the relationship between administrative workload and physician career satisfaction.
• To identify factors associated with higher administrative burdens.

Main Methods:

• Nationally representative survey of 4,720 U.S. physicians.
• Data collected on weekly hours spent on administrative tasks and career satisfaction.
• Statistical analysis to determine associations between administrative time, practice characteristics, and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Physicians spend an average of 8.7 hours per week (16.6% of working hours) on administrative tasks.
• Specialties like psychiatry and internal medicine reported higher administrative burdens.
• Increased administrative time was significantly associated with lower career satisfaction, independent of income.

Conclusions:

• Administrative workload is a substantial component of physician work, averaging over 16% of professional time.
• Factors such as practice size, ownership, financial incentives, and electronic medical record use correlate with increased administrative burden.
• Current health policy trends may exacerbate administrative burdens and negatively affect physician career satisfaction.