By Haley Holmes
July 26, 2024
Physician burnout is on the rise, marking a concerning trend in the healthcare industry. Did you know that 60% of internists experience burnout, making it the second highest after ER physicians? Wondering what the major culprit is? Well, it’s none other than the overload of bureaucratic tasks! EHR tasks alone add up to 9.2 hours per week on top of patient care duties. Additionally, internists grapple with complex patient needs and long hours, which further intensifies their stress. Not to worry, there’s a solution. Integrating remote scribes into their workflow can help alleviate EHR burden and stress. In this blog post, we will delve into how employing remote scribes can drastically reduce burnout and contribute to improvements in internist well-being.
A recent study reveals compelling statistics on the impact of remote scribes. Physicians who utilized remote scribes saw a significant decrease in burnout levels. Before adding scribes, 70.3% of physicians reported experiencing burnout based on the Mini-Z single-item burnout measure. However, after incorporating a scribe into their workflow, this number dropped to 51.4%, marking a 26.8% reduction. On the other hand, physicians who did not use a scribe experienced an increase in burnout, over the study period. Their burnout rate rose to 60.3%, showing that without a scribe, managing their workload and stress became more difficult. This suggests that remote scribes play a crucial role in reducing physician burnout by easing the documentation burden.
Dr. Mark A. Micek, the study’s author and an internist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, emphasizes the significance of scribes in reducing burnout. He found that physicians using scribes reported a more joyful and supportive workplace, improved work pace, and less EHR stress. Dr. Micek attributes this to the way scribes enhance workflow efficiency and reduce documentation burdens, contributing to lower burnout levels. He further added that this improvement is reflected in physicians’ overall sense of well-being. In a nut shell, the study, published in the journal Healthcare highlights that remote scribes are associated with significant improvements in physician well-being and reductions in EHR usage.
The use of scribes has also led to a significant reduction in the time spent on EHR-related tasks. Internists found that scribes cut their EHR time by up to 66 minutes during an eight-hour workday. This reduction includes approximately 30 minutes less time spent on EHR tasks beyond regular working hours. About 54 minutes of this time reduction was specifically due to a decrease in the time spent on note writing. Dr. Micek added that reducing EHR engagement helped a greater focus on patient engagement. He emphasized that note writing is not a fulfilling aspect of an internists job. They always find direct patient interactions far more rewarding than writing notes!
In summary, physician burnout is a serious issue, often exacerbated by the sheer volume of documentation required by EHRs. Employing scribes in GIM settings helps to cut down on EHR time, improve physician well-being, and lower burnout rates. By taking over documentation tasks, scribes enable internists to focus more on patient care, contributing to a more satisfying and less stressful work environment. Moreover, since scribe programs are cost-neutral and offer modest productivity gains, they are a great option for internal medicine practices out there looking to boost physician well-being.
Are you an internist finding ways to reduce the burden of modern physicianhood and make caring for patients rewarding? Hire Scribe4Me’s internal medicine scribe today! They can help take notes in real-time and reduce the burden of EHRs. Yes, it’s time to make your workday lighter and your care better!
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