Misdiagnosis: Burnout, moral injury, and implications for the electronic health record. (4th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williams, Marc S
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Volume 28:Number 5(2021)
• Page Start: 1047
• Page End: 1050
• Publication Date: 2020-11-04
• Subjects: electronic health record -- burnout -- moral injury; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; Information Services -- Periodicals; Medical Informatics -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Informatica; Geneeskunde; Informatique médicale; Computer network resources; Electronic journals; 610.285
• DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa244
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1067-5027

Abstract

Abstract: Burnout is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. Burnout in clinicians is receiving significant attention. Some have proposed that clinicians are experiencing symptoms of moral injury, defined as "perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations." Current efforts to improve the electronic health record (EHR) have focused on improving the user experience to reduce burden that has been identified as a contributing factor to provider burnout. However, if EHRs are contributing to moral injury, improvements to user experience will not eliminate the effects on providers. Current research has not evaluated the risk for moral injury resulting from the use of EHRs. This Perspective reviews the differences between burnout and moral injury, discusses the implications for clinicians using EHRs, and highlights the need for research to better define the problem.