Burnout and EHR use among academic primary care physicians with varied clinical workloads

Burnout is becoming increasingly prevalent among primary care physicians. Recent studies have attributed electronic health record (EHR) related tasks as a potential source of physician burnout. In this cross-sectional study, EHR use was compared to self-reported burnout for 107 faculty physicians at 10 university-affiliated primary care clinics. Physicians who self-reported burnout spent more time managing their inbox and in the EHR after hours. Burnout was associated with lower rates of same day chart closure, longer completion time for inbox messages, and more incomplete messages. Burnout, while related to overall workload, had a complex relationship with EHR use, which was influenced by but could not wholly explained by clinical workload. Our results suggest that burnout is less prevalent with less allocated clinical time, however, more research is necessary to identify the optimal balance between clinical duties and academic pursuits. Segmenting providers based on relative workload to determine variation within similar groups may help optimize EHR use.