Modern electronic health records (EHRs) are less user-friendly than Microsoft Excel, according to a study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Electronic Health Records were marked with an unsettling “F” and a SUS score of 45 while Excel received a SUS score of 57 and Microsoft Word received a SUS score of 76. Google search came in on top with an “A” and a SUS score of 93.
The results were then cross-referenced with physician burnout, measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The study clearly showed that SUS scores have a direct impact on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and overall burnout within the healthcare sector. As system usability decreased, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores increased, as did the risk of burnout.
The lack of EHR usability is a huge concern for the healthcare industry. If physicians are unable to perform to the best of their abilities, the quality of care that a patient receives will drastically decrease. Mental and physical exhaustion can ultimately lead to medical errors, delayed treatment, and misdiagnoses. Research published in the Journal of Patient Safety estimates that over 400,000 people die every year from hospital errors that could have been prevented.
An article published in the American Journal of Infection Control also found a significant association between nurse burnout and the spread of infections within hospitals. According to the researchers, “hospitals in which burnout was reduced by 30% had a total of 6,239 fewer infections, for an annual cost saving of up to $68 million.”
To improve system usability, physician health, and patient care, organizations need a secure and reliable document delivery system that streamlines communications and simplifies the transfer of protected health information (PHI). etherFAX’s hybrid fax technology solves a huge problem for healthcare medical records – the ability to easily and securely transmit EHRs and other unstructured data with HIPAA compliance, ultra-fast transmission speeds, and guaranteed delivery all while enhancing the current workflow and maintaining the same experience.
While traditional fax transmissions such as VOIP are hampered by limitations associated with PSTN and telephony infrastructure at analog modem speeds, etherFAX offers a more effective approach. By leveraging the cloud and delivering all faxes via HTTPS, etherFAX eliminates the need for outdated fax boards, media gateways, the complex telephony stack.
etherFAX also allows organizations to send and receive high-resolution documents from third-party messaging platforms including Slack, Teams, and mobile applications. The images are rendered with superior clarity and coloring to help patients and doctors decide on the best care and treatment options.
With the ability to securely transmit all types of healthcare-critical data, the healthcare industry can start moving towards improving HER usability and a more progressive business – one where patients receive fast and customized healthcare. Most importantly, etherFAX’s hybrid-cloud fax solutions give physicians peace of mind knowing that electronic health records can be easily shared, accessed, and analyzed.
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