Tailoring EHRs for Specific Working Environments Improves Work Well-Being of Physicians

Suvi Vainiomäki, Tarja Heponiemi, Jukka Vänskä and Hannele Hyppönen
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Suvi Vainiomäki: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
Tarja Heponiemi: Department of Health and Social Care Systems, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Jukka Vänskä: Finnish Medical Association, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Hannele Hyppönen: Department of Health and Social Care Systems, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, Finland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-10

Abstract: Electronic health records (EHRs) have an impact on physicians’ well-being and stress levels. We studied physicians’ experiences with EHRs and their experienced time pressure and self-rated stress by an electronic questionnaire sent to Finnish physicians aged under 65 in 2017. Our sample was 2980 physicians working in the public sector, health care centers (35.5%) or hospitals (64.5%). Experienced technical problems were positively associated with experienced time pressure, whereas user-friendliness of the EHRs was negatively associated with experienced time pressure. Low perceived support for internal cooperation was associated with high levels of time pressure in hospitals. Those experiencing high levels of technical problems were 1.3 times more likely to experience stress compared to those experiencing low levels of technical problems. Better user-friendliness of the EHRs was associated with lower levels of self-rated stress. In both working environments but more strongly in primary health care, technical problems were associated with self-rated stress. Technical problems and user-friendliness of EHRs are the main factors associated with time pressure and self-rated stress. Health care environments differ in the nature of workflow having different demands on the EHRs. Developing EHR systems should consider the special needs of different environments and workflows, enabling better work well-being amongst physicians.

Keywords: electronic health records; work–life balance; workflow (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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