The use of objective EHR-and schedule-based clinical workload and EHR use measures in predicting inpatient pediatric provider burnout.

OBJECTIVE: Characteristics of electronic health record (EHR) use associated with burnout in inpatient pediatric settings remain unclear. This study aims to (1) measure the relationship between subjective EHR experience and burnout and (2) identify objective EHR- and schedule-based measures associated with EHR experience and burnout. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inpatient pediatric providers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford between June and October 2020 were included in this study. EHR experience and burnout scores were extracted from the wellness survey, and clinical workload and EHR-use measures were calculated from hospital EHR and schedule databases. RESULTS: There was no independent association between subjective EHR experience and burnout. Among model-selected EHR- and schedule-based measures, number of patients whose charts were accessed to place notes and/or orders was significantly associated with lower EHR experience scores. None of the EHR- and schedule-based measures were selected as important predictor variables for burnout. Belonging to the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) division was independently associated with higher burnout scores. DISCUSSION: Although one of the EHR- and schedule-based measures was associated with lower EHR experience scores, none were associated with burnout. Belonging to the PCCM division was significantly associated with burnout suggesting that there may be factors other than those associated with EHR use contributing to burnout. CONCLUSION: EHR- and schedule-based measures showed limited ability to predict EHR experience and burnout. Initiatives to reduce burnout may need to be targeted at the division level and should address factors beyond EHR use.