Abstract
Background Electronic health records are a significant contributing factor in clinician burnout,
which negatively impacts patient care.
Objectives To identify and appraise published solutions that aim to reduce EHR-related burnout
in clinicians.
Methods A literature search strategy was developed following the guidelines of the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Six databases were searched
for articles published between January 1950 and March 2023. The inclusion criteria
were peer-reviewed, full-text, English language articles that described interventions
targeting EHR-related burnout in any type of clinician, with reported outcomes related
to burnout, wellness, EHR satisfaction, or documentation workload. Studies describing
interventions without an explicit focus on reducing burnout or enhancing EHR-related
satisfaction were excluded.
Results We identified 44 articles describing interventions to reduce EHR-related burnout.
These interventions included the use of scribes, EHR training, and EHR modifications.
These interventions were generally well received by the clinicians and patients, with
subjective improvements in documentation time and EHR satisfaction, although objective
data were limited.
Conclusion The findings of this review underscore the potential benefits of interventions to
reduce EHR-related burnout as well as the need for further research with more robust
study designs involving randomized trials, control groups, longer study durations,
and validated, objective outcome measurements.
Keywords
electronic health records - burnout - documentation - workload
