Electronic Health Record Effects on Work-Life Balance and Burnout Within the I³ Population Collaborative

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Occupational Health
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Physician burnout is a significant issue, frequently linked to the demands of electronic health record (EHR) systems.
• Understanding the prevalence and contributing factors of burnout and work-life balance is crucial for primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of burnout and work-life balance satisfaction among primary care residents and teaching physicians.
• To analyze the relationship between EHR usage, practice characteristics, individual factors, and these outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous surveys were distributed to residents and faculty across 19 primary care programs.
• Data collected included burnout, work-life balance satisfaction, EHR use, practice size, specialty, EHR features, and demographics.
• Logistic regression analysis identified key factors associated with burnout and work-life balance.

Main Results:

• Out of 866 surveys, 585 (68%) were completed, with 37% reporting burnout symptoms, largely attributed to EHR use.
• 53% reported dissatisfaction with work-life balance, and 85% felt EHR use impacted it.
• Over 6 hours weekly of after-hours EHR work correlated with higher burnout rates (OR 2.9) and lower work-life satisfaction (OR 0.33).

Conclusions:

• Increased time spent on EHR tasks outside of work hours is significantly associated with higher rates of physician burnout.
• Extended after-hours EHR engagement negatively impacts work-life balance satisfaction among primary care physicians and residents.