Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The myth of physician resistance

Leigh Wiley, RN
Tech
March 21, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

I’m an RN and clinical informaticist. When I was studying health care informatics, I learned about physician resistance. The idea is that physicians are uniquely resistant to EHRs and health care information technology (HIT) apps. If only they went to more training or spent more of their limited time customizing their preferences, they would get the benefits of the EHR. For years, I believed this to be true.

Yet, I had difficulty reconciling this belief with my knowledge of many physicians who openly embraced medical technology. Before going into informatics, I had been an ICU and ER nurse at teaching hospitals. The doctors I had worked with did not balk at seeking out new, innovative technology. Nor were they luddites in their personal lives. They adeptly used innumerable apps to communicate or manage their lives. These same skills are integral to health information technology apps.

My first job in informatics was to implement EHRs. I traveled around the country, implementing solutions in a variety of settings. Rural, urban, community, teaching-I saw it all. Regardless of the setting, I heard the same general complaints over and over again from physicians.

“This program is only for insurance. It doesn’t help me.”

“This is work a secretary should be doing.”

“There are too many clicks.”

I bristled hearing this feedback. I thought that physicians simply saw using the EHR as demeaning. I wanted them to get on board, go to more training, spend more time customizing, and move on. Slowly, I began to understand that either there was a grand conspiracy among physicians to reject EHRs, or EHRs were fundamentally flawed.

Two years ago, I learned about user-centered design. My viewpoint was irrevocably changed. Physicians were not rejecting the EHR. They were rejecting systems that fundamentally disrupted their lives and were unusable. The average physician spends 86 minutes at home every night to catch up on their EHR documentation. This is unacceptable.

User-centered design looks to solve issues for the user. Usability is an attribute of any software application or website. The Neilson Norman Group, experts on usability, list five components of usability:

  • Learnability
  • Efficiency
  • Memorability
  • Errors
  • Satisfaction

Looking at EHRs through this lens, I do not see many of them as being very usable. If they were learnable, it would not take eight hours of training. If they were efficient, physicians would not have to spend an average of 86 minutes further documenting at home. If they were memorable, anyone returning from a vacation would not need assistance to complete needed tasks. If they were satisfactory, there would be acceptance for them. In addition, EHRs often place a high cognitive burden on the user. They expect the user to tool with settings and preferences to get to a basic starting point.

Having now studied user-centered design, the flaw is in the EHR. The EHR does not seek to provide the same usable experience one would have shopping or texting. There is no excuse as to why EHRs can not provide a satisfactory user experience. Physicians and all clinicians deserve better.

Leigh Wiley is a clinical informatacist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

How this physician's self-care awakening helped her lose weight and take control of her health

March 21, 2022 Kevin 0
…
Next

Changing how we think about "difficult" patients [PODCAST]

March 21, 2022 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How this physician's self-care awakening helped her lose weight and take control of her health
Next Post >
Changing how we think about "difficult" patients [PODCAST]

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi
  • Why this physician supports Medicare for all

    Thad Salmon, MD
  • Embrace the teamwork involved in becoming a physician

    Nathaniel Fleming

More in Tech

  • How AI is revolutionizing health care through real-world data

    Sujay Jadhav, MBA
  • Ambient AI: When health monitoring leaves the screen behind

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Closing the gap in respiratory care: How robotics can expand access in underserved communities

    Evgeny Ignatov, MD, RRT
  • Model context protocol: the standard that brings AI into clinical workflow

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

    Amelia Mercado
  • The silent threat in health care layoffs

    Todd Thorsen, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • Bird flu’s deadly return: Are we flying blind into the next pandemic?

      Tista S. Ghosh, MD, MPH | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • How collaboration across medical disciplines and patient advocacy cured a rare disease [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 5 cancer myths that could delay your diagnosis or treatment

      Joseph Alvarnas, MD | Conditions
    • When bleeding disorders meet IVF: Navigating von Willebrand disease in fertility treatment

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • Bird flu’s deadly return: Are we flying blind into the next pandemic?

      Tista S. Ghosh, MD, MPH | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why adults need to rediscover the power of play

      Anthony Fleg, MD | Physician
    • How collaboration across medical disciplines and patient advocacy cured a rare disease [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 5 cancer myths that could delay your diagnosis or treatment

      Joseph Alvarnas, MD | Conditions
    • When bleeding disorders meet IVF: Navigating von Willebrand disease in fertility treatment

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The myth of physician resistance
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...