The study analyzed survey responses from 2,067 family physicians who sought American Board of Family Medicine recertification in 2022. The results showed that just 27.2% of the respondents were very satisfied with their EHR, while 37.5% were somewhat satisfied. On the other end of the spectrum, 16.7% were somewhat dissatisfied, and 9.6% were very dissatisfied with their EHR systems.

The researchers assessed various aspects of EHR usability, finding that the highest satisfaction was related to the readability of information, with 26.3% of respondents rating it as excellent. However, the usefulness of alerts scored the lowest in usability, with only 12.7% rating it as excellent. The study identified several factors that contributed to higher satisfaction, including good or excellent usability in data entry, alignment with workflow processes, ease of finding information, and the usefulness of alerts. These factors were positively associated with physicians being very satisfied with their EHR, which in turn was linked to a reduced frequency of burnout.

The findings underscore the critical impact of EHR usability on physician satisfaction and well-being. The authors note that the inverse association between EHR satisfaction and burnout is particularly concerning, with one-fourth of the physicians reporting being somewhat or very dissatisfied with their EHR. This dissatisfaction amplifies the risk of burnout, pointing to the urgent need for improvements in EHR systems to enhance their usability and support physicians in their daily work.