The University of Michigan conducted three studies hoping to combat primary care doctor burnout. According to a release, digital patient portal messaging is causing burnout.
The studies found that:
·Female doctors reported more “negative or demeaning” messages from patients.
·More female doctors attributed their burnout to patient messages.
·Reserving workday hours to respond to messages helped, but “it did not significantly change total patient visits or billing.”
·Working together to respond to messages helped reduce burnout.
The studies are published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
