Sixty-three percent of physicians say electronic health records (EHRs) have led to improved patient care, and 66 percent are at least somewhat satisfied with their current systems.

However, a large portion see room for improvement, translating to 59 percent who think EHRs need a complete overhaul; 40 percent who think there are more challenges with EHRs than benefits; and only 18 percent saying they are "very satisfied" with their current systems, a new report by Stanford Medicine points out.

Per the report, "primary care physicians say that EHRs can detract them from professional satisfaction and clinical effectiveness; and most believe EHRs contribute to physician burnout, a new element that is being evaluated and is becoming somewhat of a trendy topic of late."

The providers surveyed even agreed that EHR use contributes "to the number of hours worked daily and believed that EHRs are a large contributing factor to the physician burnout crisis."

In fact, the study, the majority of primary care physicians (54 percent) said the use of EHRs detracts from their professional satisfaction; about half (49 percent) think using an EHR detracts from their clinical effectiveness; and 74 percent say the use of the technology have increased the total number of hours they work daily and that EHRs greatly contribute to physician burnout (71 percent).

The Stanford research, with help from the Harris Poll, interviewed more than 500 PCPs.

Regarding burnout, the physicians said they spend a "disproportionate amount of time” per visit interacting with the EHR technology and some think that EHRs are “competing with their patients for already limited time and attention," which leads to additional stress.

The average time spent on visits interacting with EHRs over the course of a 20-minute in-person patient visit: 12 minutes. The doctors then get to spend about 10 minutes more with the EHR following each interaction with a patient after the visit.

Some additional stats gleaned from the poll:

  • 62 percent of time that PCPs devote to each patient is being spent in the EHR
  • 7 in 10 (69 percent) say using an EHR takes valuable time away from their patients
  • 7 in 10 (69 percent) believe EHRs have not strengthened their patient relationships

How do doctors use their EHRs? Forty-four percent say that most of the technology’s value is in data storage, decision support (3 percent) and patient engagement (2 percent).

How can the technology be improved?

The Stanford poll offers that short-term improvements might include EHR user interface design to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce screen time; shift more EHR data entry to support staff; and an increased use of highly accurate voice recording technology that acts as a scribe during patient visits.

Long-term improvements might include: addressing interoperability deficiencies; improved predictive analytics to support disease diagnosis, prevention, and population health management; and integration of financial information into the EHR to help patients understand the costs of their care options.

"EHRs have transformed how healthcare is documented in the U.S., but for all the information we've now captured digitally, we are rarely wiser as a result," said Dr. Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine.

"Insights that could lead to better patient care or new medical discoveries remain buried within piles of disconnected data. Moreover, EHR use has eroded professional satisfaction among physicians. This national poll underscores what many physicians have felt for a while: their needs are not reflected enough in the design of these systems. Fixing the problem goes far beyond technology, and it will take many stakeholders working together to make EHRs more user-friendly and capable of achieving their true potential."

For a visual view of the poll data, see the following infographic: