[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":1031,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Internal medicine residents devote 87 percent of their work time away from patients, and about half of that is consumed by interacting with electronic health records.

That\u2019s the finding of a new study<\/a>, conducted by researchers at Penn Medicine and Johns Hopkins University, published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/i>.

The analysis of six internal medicine programs in the mid-Atlantic region assessed how first-year interns allocate time while working on general medicine inpatient services. The researchers documented the activities of 80 interns\u2014which included 194 shifts and 2,173 hours\u2014during a three-month period.

\u201cInterns are predominantly engaged in indirect patient care, with little variation over 24 hours,\u201d state the authors. \u201cNotably, more than 10 hours (43 percent) of a 24-hour period were spent interacting with the electronic medical record. In contrast, little time was spent in educational activities or direct patient care. When interns were engaged in these activities, indirect patient care often co-occurred.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: AMA president calls for end to electronic health record abuse<\/a>

According to the researchers, the study is the largest to examine how young doctors spend their work day.

\u201cThis objective look at how interns spend their time during the work day reveals a previously hidden picture of how young physicians are trained, and the reality of medical practice today,\u201d said lead author Krisda Chaiyachati, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Perelman School of Medicine. \u201cOur study can help residency program leaders take stock of what their interns are doing and consider whether the time and processes are right for developing the physicians we need tomorrow.\u201d

Chaiyachati and his colleagues conclude that \u201cinterns spend substantial time in indirect patient care and little in face-to-face contact with patients or engagement in educational activities.\u201d However, they are not sure whether that is necessarily good or bad.

\u201cIndirect patient care has tradeoffs,\u201d added Chaiyachati. \u201cIf it takes time away to the point that patients feel like we aren\u2019t listening to their needs or we lose out on human interactions that provide physicians with a sense of purpose, that is a bad thing. But if it helps us diagnose diseases more efficiently, then maybe that\u2019s not that bad in the end.\u201d","saveContent":"Internal medicine residents devote 87 percent of their work time away from patients, and about half of that is consumed by interacting with electronic health records.

That\u2019s the finding of a new study<\/a>, conducted by researchers at Penn Medicine and Johns Hopkins University, published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/i>.

The analysis of six internal medicine programs in the mid-Atlantic region assessed how first-year interns allocate time while working on general medicine inpatient services. The researchers documented the activities of 80 interns\u2014which included 194 shifts and 2,173 hours\u2014during a three-month period.

\u201cInterns are predominantly engaged in indirect patient care, with little variation over 24 hours,\u201d state the authors. \u201cNotably, more than 10 hours (43 percent) of a 24-hour period were spent interacting with the electronic medical record. In contrast, little time was spent in educational activities or direct patient care. When interns were engaged in these activities, indirect patient care often co-occurred.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: AMA president calls for end to electronic health record abuse<\/a>

According to the researchers, the study is the largest to examine how young doctors spend their work day.

\u201cThis objective look at how interns spend their time during the work day reveals a previously hidden picture of how young physicians are trained, and the reality of medical practice today,\u201d said lead author Krisda Chaiyachati, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Perelman School of Medicine. \u201cOur study can help residency program leaders take stock of what their interns are doing and consider whether the time and processes are right for developing the physicians we need tomorrow.\u201d

Chaiyachati and his colleagues conclude that \u201cinterns spend substantial time in indirect patient care and little in face-to-face contact with patients or engagement in educational activities.\u201d However, they are not sure whether that is necessarily good or bad.

\u201cIndirect patient care has tradeoffs,\u201d added Chaiyachati. \u201cIf it takes time away to the point that patients feel like we aren\u2019t listening to their needs or we lose out on human interactions that provide physicians with a sense of purpose, that is a bad thing. But if it helps us diagnose diseases more efficiently, then maybe that\u2019s not that bad in the end.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Study finds first-year interns spend 43% of their day working on an EHR

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