Stress related to electronic health record (EHR) use among oncology trainees: A quality improvement study to optimize information gathering.

Abstract

11015 Background: Poor EHR usability is associated with physician burnout [1]. Oncology providers are tasked with coordinating data from multiple sources/tabs within an EHR (biomarkers, genetic data, imaging, etc.) to make treatment plan decisions. It is hypothesized that oncology trainees will have decreased stress using an EHR tool to optimize data gathering. Methods: This single-institution quality improvement study aims to decrease the time and stress associated with navigating the EHR to review/document laboratory data among first-year clinical oncology fellows rotating on consult services at The Mount Sinai Hospital as measured by self-reported survey data. An EHR tool was built that pulls into the note a drop-down list of user-selectable laboratory panels grouped according to hematologic/oncologic disease presentations. A survey was sent to all fellows in the program to assess attitudes toward the EHR. All 1st-year fellows were given access to the EHR tool as they are the ones who primarily rotate on consult services. After 3 months, a follow-up survey was sent to 1st-year clinical fellows to assess satisfaction with the EHR intervention. Results: For the baseline survey, there are a total of 17 respondents (response rate 77%). 70.6% of fellows believe using the EHR increases their level of stress. The most prevalent reasons cited for frustrations with the EHR are “Hard to read other providers’ notes” (82.4%), “Gathering information from multiple different pages” (76.5%), “Increased documentation requirements” (76.5%), “Inability to quickly navigate the system” (64.7%). For the follow-up survey targeting 1st-year fellows, there are a total of 6 respondents (response rate 100%). 5 fellows tried the EHR tool at least once. Of those 5 fellows, 100% use it daily in clinical practice while on consult services, believe it makes notes more legible, believe it saves time spent in chart review, and believe it decreases their stress associated with navigating the EHR. Conclusions: A majority of clinical oncology fellows believe that the EHR contributes to their stress. The reasons cited suggest that interventions that optimize note-writing and chart-reviewing may decrease stress. The majority of fellows who used this EHR tool believe the tool improved their efficiency and stress levels. This suggests more widespread use of this tool among oncology clinicians may contribute to wellness although further studies to increase utilization must be taken.