Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted digital health utilization, raising concerns about increased physicians’ after-hours clinical work ("work-outside-work”). The surge in patients’ digital messages and additional time spent on work-outside-work by telemedicine providers underscores the n...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | npj Digital Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-024-01001-2 |
| _version_ | 1797273130636410880 |
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| author | Soumik Mandal Batia M. Wiesenfeld Devin M. Mann Adam C. Szerencsy Eduardo Iturrate Oded Nov |
| author_facet | Soumik Mandal Batia M. Wiesenfeld Devin M. Mann Adam C. Szerencsy Eduardo Iturrate Oded Nov |
| author_sort | Soumik Mandal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted digital health utilization, raising concerns about increased physicians’ after-hours clinical work ("work-outside-work”). The surge in patients’ digital messages and additional time spent on work-outside-work by telemedicine providers underscores the need to evaluate the connection between digital health utilization and physicians’ after-hours commitments. We examined the impact on physicians’ workload from two types of digital demands - patients’ messages requesting medical advice (PMARs) sent to physicians’ inbox (inbasket), and telemedicine. Our study included 1716 ambulatory-care physicians in New York City regularly practicing between November 2022 and March 2023. Regression analyses assessed primary and interaction effects of (PMARs) and telemedicine on work-outside-work. The study revealed a significant effect of PMARs on physicians’ work-outside-work and that this relationship is moderated by physicians’ specialties. Non-primary care physicians or specialists experienced a more pronounced effect than their primary care peers. Analysis of their telemedicine load revealed that primary care physicians received fewer PMARs and spent less time in work-outside-work with more telemedicine. Specialists faced increased PMARs and did more work-outside-work as telemedicine visits increased which could be due to the difference in patient panels. Reducing PMAR volumes and efficient inbasket management strategies needed to reduce physicians’ work-outside-work. Policymakers need to be cognizant of potential disruptions in physicians carefully balanced workload caused by the digital health services. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:40:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-da5ab8973b9c479ab0f6111261786057 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-6352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:40:12Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Digital Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-da5ab8973b9c479ab0f61112617860572024-03-05T20:27:13ZengNature Portfolionpj Digital Medicine2398-63522024-02-01711710.1038/s41746-024-01001-2Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-workSoumik Mandal0Batia M. Wiesenfeld1Devin M. Mann2Adam C. Szerencsy3Eduardo Iturrate4Oded Nov5Dept of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of MedicineNew York University Leonard N Stern School of BusinessDept of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of MedicineMCIT Department of Health Informatics, NYU Langone HealthDept of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of MedicineTechnology Management & Innovation, New York University Tandon School of EngineeringAbstract The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted digital health utilization, raising concerns about increased physicians’ after-hours clinical work ("work-outside-work”). The surge in patients’ digital messages and additional time spent on work-outside-work by telemedicine providers underscores the need to evaluate the connection between digital health utilization and physicians’ after-hours commitments. We examined the impact on physicians’ workload from two types of digital demands - patients’ messages requesting medical advice (PMARs) sent to physicians’ inbox (inbasket), and telemedicine. Our study included 1716 ambulatory-care physicians in New York City regularly practicing between November 2022 and March 2023. Regression analyses assessed primary and interaction effects of (PMARs) and telemedicine on work-outside-work. The study revealed a significant effect of PMARs on physicians’ work-outside-work and that this relationship is moderated by physicians’ specialties. Non-primary care physicians or specialists experienced a more pronounced effect than their primary care peers. Analysis of their telemedicine load revealed that primary care physicians received fewer PMARs and spent less time in work-outside-work with more telemedicine. Specialists faced increased PMARs and did more work-outside-work as telemedicine visits increased which could be due to the difference in patient panels. Reducing PMAR volumes and efficient inbasket management strategies needed to reduce physicians’ work-outside-work. Policymakers need to be cognizant of potential disruptions in physicians carefully balanced workload caused by the digital health services.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-024-01001-2 |
| spellingShingle | Soumik Mandal Batia M. Wiesenfeld Devin M. Mann Adam C. Szerencsy Eduardo Iturrate Oded Nov Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work npj Digital Medicine |
| title | Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work |
| title_full | Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work |
| title_short | Quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians' work-outside-work |
| title_sort | quantifying the impact of telemedicine and patient medical advice request messages on physicians work outside work |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-024-01001-2 |
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