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.
