DoctorIQ Offers a Lifeline to Overworked Clinicians
Shortages of medical staff have become a critical situation globally. By 2022, Nigeria had reached a doctor-patient ratio of just 1:3500. Even in the United States, recent reports have warned that the situation with a physician shortage is about to worsen. This leaves the doctors in clinical settings on the point of burnout, as they are overworked, tired, and can’t get to everything. The launch of DoctorIQ brings a positive light to these overworked clinicians, giving them a way to save time and drastically speed up administrative tasks in the office.
The Documentation and Administrative Burden
A research team wanted to determine the extent to which administrative work burdens the modern-day physician. They were able to interview a total of 36 doctors, all of whom are family physicians. Even though the interview didn’t specifically ask a question about administrative burden, it was quickly mentioned amongst the most important things that cause burden in the office among these physicians.
The family physicians agreed that the amount of paperwork that has to be done is a significant problem. This was followed by inbox management, as well as the lack of compensation for the overtime worked on admin tasks.
There’s data that backs things up. One research paper shows that the average physician spends about 8.7 hours a week on paperwork alone. Some doctors spend much more time, especially if they decide to use a paper-based patient record system.
When there’s a lack of staff in clinical settings, doctors need to see more patients. This increases the amount of time they have to spend on administrative tasks, including documenting their encounters with patients.
Apart from the documentation and other admin tasks being time-consuming, there’s another major issue that the healthcare industry faces now. That is the burnout that comes with being overworked. As the lack of clinical staff continues to grow, doctors need to work longer hours. They spend less time with their families, have less time to sleep, and all of this builds up over time.
One study found that an estimated 75.5% of physicians in Nigeria might be experiencing symptoms associated with burnout. This means that most of the doctors in Nigeria are facing this issue.
In the United States, burnout prevalence among physicians has been dropping over the last two years, particularly following the stabilization of the COVID-19 situation. However, Stanford Medicine reports that the rates still remain at a worryingly high level. It’s estimated that by 2036, there will be a deficit of at least 86,000 physicians within the United States.
The Consequences of Physician Burnout
Physicians aren't the only ones to feel the consequences. Burnout affects the healthcare system. Even the patient experiences the impact.
The physician’s mental and physical health can begin to decline. They are overworked, tired, and may experience fatigue. Concentrating normally becomes a challenge. Burnout among physicians has also been linked to higher levels of stress and an increased risk of depression.
For the patient, widespread physician burnout can affect care quality, increase the risk of medical errors, and decrease their overall satisfaction.
The healthcare industry suffers in the process. Physician turnover, a decline in productivity, and higher costs for recruitment take a toll on the clinical facility.
The Role of AI Scribes in Understaffed and Overworked Medical Facilities
The rise of AI scribes has provided a lifeline for overworked staff at centers where there is not enough physicians compared to the number of patients that need to be treated.
DoctorIQ has launched and established itself as a state-of-the-art tool that focuses on reducing the burden that the healthcare industry faces. Even in cases where clinics and other healthcare facilities are understaffed, the implementation of DoctorIQ can bring noticeable improvements in workflow and reduce physician burnout.
The major way in which DoctorIQ helps is through the automation of documentation. For physicians, this is one of the most significant factors contributing to burnout and frustration in their office. DoctorIQ was developed to provide an easy-to-use system that requires minimal input from the doctor, other than filling in some information about the patient. The patient’s file is securely stored on DoctorIQ’s server and can be retrieved at any time when the doctor logs into their account.
During an appointment, the doctor simply clicks on the “Start Visit” button. The system begins recording the consultation between the doctor and patient, and then creates a complete SOAP note, formatted according to the doctor’s needs. The system even creates a printable patient handout, which helps to increase patient satisfaction and education.
This means doctors no longer have to sit and do manual paperwork or documentation. DoctorIQ speeds up this process, which opens up more time on the physician’s schedule. It makes the process of working with multiple patients on a daily basis easier and more streamlined.
Conclusion
As the crisis with a shortage of medical staff continues to escalate in locations like the United States and Nigeria, there’s an urgent need for tools to ease the workload of medical staff. DoctorIQ was created to help eliminate the need for manual paperwork, and its advanced, cutting-edge AI tech brings a medical scribe directly into the doctor’s office.
