Physician Stress During Electronic Health Record Inbox Work: In Situ Measurement With Wearable Sensors.

Background: Increased work through electronic health record (EHR) messaging is frequently cited as a factor of physician burnout. However, studies to date have relied on anecdotal or self-reported measures, which limit the ability to match EHR use patterns with continuous stress patterns throughout the day.

Objective: The aim of this study is to collect EHR use and physiologic stress data through unobtrusive means that provide objective and continuous measures, cluster distinct patterns of EHR inbox work, identify physicians' daily physiologic stress patterns, and evaluate the association between EHR inbox work patterns and physician physiologic stress.

Evaluation of Attention Switching and Duration of Electronic Inbox Work Among Primary Care Physicians.

Importance: Primary care physicians (PCPs) report multitasking during workdays while processing electronic inbox messages, but scant systematic information exists on attention switching and its correlates in the health care setting.

Objectives: To describe PCPs' frequency of attention switching associated with electronic inbox work, identify potentially modifiable factors associated with attention switching and inbox work duration, and compare the relative association of attention switching and other factors with inbox work duration.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study of the work of 1275 PCPs in an integrated group serving 4.

Physicians' electronic inbox work patterns and factors associated with high inbox work duration.

Objectives: Electronic health record systems are increasingly used to send messages to physicians, but research on physicians' inbox use patterns is limited. This study's aims were to (1) quantify the time primary care physicians (PCPs) spend managing inboxes; (2) describe daily patterns of inbox use; (3) investigate which types of messages consume the most time; and (4) identify factors associated with inbox work duration.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed 1 month of electronic inbox data for 1275 PCPs in a large medical group and linked these data with physicians' demographic data.

Primary Care Physicians' Experiences With and Strategies for Managing Electronic Messages.

Importance: The increasing use of electronic communications has enhanced access to physicians for patients and clinical staff. Primary care physicians (PCPs) have anecdotally identified electronic inbox management as a new source of work-related stress.

Objectives: To describe PCPs' experiences managing their electronic inboxes and to characterize the array of management strategies developed by individual physicians and practice groups.