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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 3 of 3 Research Studies DisplayedHendrix N, Bazemore A, Holmgren AJ
AHRQ Author: Eden AR
Variation in family physicians' experiences across different electronic health record platforms: a descriptive study.
This AHRQ-authored study analyzed variation in reported usability and satisfaction of family physicians across different electronic health records (EHRs). Participants included 3358 ABFM-certified family physicians who use an EHR with at least 50 total responding physicians. These physicians were given an Internet-based survey between December 2021 and October 2022. The EHR systems analyzed included: Epic, athenahealth, Practice Fusion, Allscripts, Cerner, Greenway, and eClinical Works. The EHRs with the most satisfaction included athenahealth or Epic, while physicians using Allscripts, Cerner, or Greenway were the least likely to be very satisfied. There was a great variation in satisfaction due to EHR-specific factors: this overall influence explained 48% of variation in the probability of being very satisfied with Epic, 46% with eClinical Works, 14% with athenahealth, and 49% with Cerner.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Hendrix N, Bazemore A, Holmgren AJ .
Variation in family physicians' experiences across different electronic health record platforms: a descriptive study.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Oct; 38(13):2980-87. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08169-5..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Physician
Apathy NC, Rotenstein L, Bates DW NC, Rotenstein L, Bates DW
Documentation dynamics: note composition, burden, and physician efficiency.
This study’s objective was to analyze how physician clinical note length and composition relate to electronic health record (EHR)-based measures of burden and efficiency that have been tied to burnout. This cross-sectional study examined EHR metadata capturing physician-level measures from 203,728 US-based ambulatory physicians using the Epic Systems EHR between September 2020 and May 2021. The authors calculated physician-level averages for four measures of interest and assigned physicians to overall note length deciles and note composition deciles from six sources, including templated text, manual text, and copy/paste text. They found that physicians in the top decile of note length demonstrated greater burden and lower efficiency than physicians in the median decile level, spending 39% more time in the EHR after hours and closing 5.6 percentage points fewer visits on the same day. Copy/paste use demonstrated a similar dose/response relationship, with top-decile copy/paste users closing 6.8 percentage points fewer visits on the same day and spending more time in the EHR after hours and on days off. Templated text such as Epic’s SmartTools demonstrated a non-linear relationship with burden and efficiency, with very low and very high levels of use associated with increased EHR burden and decreased efficiency.
AHRQ-funded; HS026116.
Citation: Apathy NC, Rotenstein L, Bates DW NC, Rotenstein L, Bates DW .
Documentation dynamics: note composition, burden, and physician efficiency.
Health Serv Res 2023 Jun; 58(3):674-85. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14097..
Keywords: Provider: Physician, Burnout, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Apathy NC, Hare AJ, Fendrich S
I had not time to make it shorter: an exploratory analysis of how physicians reduce note length and time in notes.
The authors analyzed observed reductions in physicians’ note length and documentation time, both of which contribute to EHR burden and burnout. Their study used EHR metadata for ambulatory physician Epic users and examined changes in note composition of physicians who decreased note length and/or documentation time. Their findings showed that note length decreases were primarily attributable to reductions in copy/paste text and templated text, while note time decreases were primarily attributable to reductions in manual text. They concluded that future research should explore scalable burden-reduction initiatives that are responsive to both note bloat and documentation time.
AHRQ-funded; HS026116.
Citation: Apathy NC, Hare AJ, Fendrich S .
I had not time to make it shorter: an exploratory analysis of how physicians reduce note length and time in notes.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Jan18; 30(2):355-60. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac211..
Keywords: Provider: Physician, Burnout, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)