Electronic Health Records Patient Generated Data

A new article was published in the past week, which found the Electronic Health record-integrated patient-generated health data may create a burden for clinicians leading to burnout. Specifically, researchers from the Northwestern University found that time pressure, technostress, and workflow-related issues need to be addressed. This will accelerate the integration of patient-generated health data into clinical care.

Jiancheng Ye, a Ph.D. student at the university, wrote in the article, “Clinician burnout is not only a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, but also a type of cynicism about job responsibilities. Burnout is a reaction marked by lacking the sense of accomplishment, feeling emotionally exhausted and experiencing depersonalization.”

The article noted that technology like wearables, smartphone apps, and remote monitoring devices increasingly collect health-related patient information. This data is in return shared in turn with healthcare providers. The article, basically, focuses on the two major health data elements: patient-reported outcomes reported directly from patients and mobile health.

Ye wrote, “Coupled with deployed Electronic Health records, patient portals and secure messaging, these new types of data enable patients to actively engage in the health care process, further improving the connection with their HCPs.” Although, the interactions with HER-integrated patient-generated health data may also result in clinician burnout.

Ye says that in some cases, the systems send patient data to a physician directly. This is achieved through mobile phones or electric messaging systems. While the system is efficient in urgent situations, the mechanism is burdensome to the provider. It can also lead to fatigue if not all notifications are relevant.