EHR Documentation: Could It Be A Factor For Female Physicians’ Burnout?

Burnout can cause various impacts on one’s life. In this busy world, where competition is an emphasizing force, people are affected by work pressures, stress, and burnout, especially in the healthcare industry where many lives are at stake. Electronic Health Records (EHR) documentation contributes the most.

When it comes to burnout the impact based on gender differences is huge. There are many arguments about this and many researchers are finding it hard to differentiate the impacts of EHR documentation based on gender.

Though all physicians find it harder to work with the changes and stress, it is most likely the female physicians and clinicians who are more prone to burnout. They spend more time on their EHR documentation outside office hours than male physicians. This majorly contributes to burnout.

Let’s First See – What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and extended stress. It happens when one feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet demands constantly.

If this state continues, one can begin to lose interest and motivation to complete necessary work.

Burnout can affect negatively one’s work, social and personal life. It can do long-term damage to one’s physical form.

Burnout Due To EHR Documentation For Female Physicians

As we said above, “the female physicians are at the highest peak of risk for clinician burnout from EHR documentation when compared to other physicians”- new research by Athenahealth.

The research revealed that while female clinicians schedule fewer encounters per week compared to male clinicians, both genders spend the same amount of time on collective patient documentation per week.

Adding to these, female physicians are prone to more household stresses than other physicians. This alone can elevate the burnout level. The study also found, Overall, female clinicians’ documentation minutes per patient encounter is at least 20 percent higher across most specialties.

For example, some studies show that female cardiologists’ documentation time per encounter is 62% higher than their male colleagues. Higher EHR documentation burden for women also comes from other people’s behavior and expectations, rather than from physicians themselves.

Unfolding gender differences is key to understanding how to improve clinical documentation workflows and address clinician burdens.

The Importance Of Delegation Here

Delegation is the key to solving this problem to some extent. Delegating works for everyone decreases the burden of documentation for female staff. 

For example, a few tracking tools can be kept tabs on by the caretakers from their houses, so that the physicians who have lots of EHR documentation processes can spare some time for other activities.

Here Are Some Tips To Deal With Burnout

Knowing about burnout is not alone necessary. Proper care and follow-up treatments are compulsory for leading a healthy life.

First one has to recognize the problem, then reverse the damage by seeking professional support and building yourself in a way it can be flexible with changing burnout and stress. Other than this, tackling burnout can be made easy by following the following steps.

• When you find yourself in a situation, where you cannot manage the problems anymore by yourself, turn to other people. There is nothing wrong in asking for help from friends and family, and even if they aren’t helping, take professional support for coming out and dealing with it.
• Next, you can reframe the way you look at your work. Sometimes the perspective matters. We have to change our perspective in order to relieve ourselves of problems that lead to burnout.
• You should reevaluate your priorities. Priorities play a major role in accomplishing objectives. It also tends way to burnout if not being able to meet. You should set your limit or boundaries up to which you can work or dedicate your time. This solves half of the problem and makes work-life balance easier for female physicians.
• Physical exercise is a must. Don’t tell reasons to yourself. Be ready and get some time off earlier before or after work and do your favorite exercise routine. Do some running outdoors if you can, and take a stroll with your friends casually outside. Nature can heal many things than we know. Even if the outdoors isn’t going to work for you, prepare your space and do some yoga and meditation. You know, even some dancing can help people.
• Follow a healthy diet. A healthy diet makes for a healthy mind and body. It automatically changes the atmosphere around us. A healthy diet can boost our energy and make us see things in a new manner so that we can work and manage burnout.

Get A Perfect EHR So That You Don’t Have To Suffer Burnout As You Did Before

Burnout for female physicians due to the overwhelming documentation works of electronic health records (EHR), can cause so much trouble for them and sometimes for the people around them and the patients they attend to.

Burnout can cause serious damage to their health, and well-being, and somewhat destroy their work-life balance and happiness.

It becomes necessary to choose an EHR that decelerates the process of documentation and takes away your stress and burnout. Welcome to Vozo, you must need friends for availing of a perfect cloud-based EHR software.

Our cloud-based EHR software is built with the easy to access advanced features to improve your practice’s clinical care. With Vozo smart EHR tools such as a convenient patient portal, advanced e-prescribing, clinical decision support, RCM, and billing solution with anytime mobile accessibility make it easier to provide quality care and reduces the chances for burnout and in turn results in a better patient experience.

Whether you’re a physician at a small or large healthcare practice, our cost-effective EHR software helps you to achieve greater success in the healthcare marketplace – not only today but also in the future. 

“Come, let’s build a burnout-free EHR documentation, together”