Physicians struggle to stay on top of clinical advancements

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While most physicians are interested in learning about new research, treatments and trials that can help improve outcomes in their patients, the vast majority are overwhelmed by the amount of information needed to stay on top of things. 

According to new research from Doximity, physicians who want to stay up-to-date often engage with online content, including in between patient visits, and often sacrifice their free time to keep current with the latest medical news and information.

This occurs despite the already high demand being placed on them, as well as crisis levels of work-related burnout.

With tens of thousands of treatments and medical devices available, and more than 20,000 clinical trials currently recruiting patients in the U.S. alone, keeping up is no easy feat. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that in order to provide guideline-recommended care, a primary care physician would need to do nearly 26.7 hours of clinical work per day.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

Ninety-five percent of physicians surveyed are interested in learning about new trials, treatments and procedures, but 68% said they feel overwhelmed by the amount of information with which they have to stay current.

What this means for hospitals is continued staff burnout and workforce shortages.
 
With a projected shortage of nearly 140,000 physicians by 2033, and a shortage of three million lower-wage healthcare workers in the next five years, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has sounded the alarm on the country's ongoing healthcare burnout crisis.

Health workers – including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, and nurse aides – have long faced systemic challenges in the healthcare system, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. That, according to Murthy, is leading to crisis levels of burnout.

The pandemic, of course, only made things worse, prompting Murthy to issue an advisory in May for addressing health worker burnout that includes recommendations such as reducing administrative burdens, being more responsible to workers' needs, and eliminating punitive policies for seeking mental health and substance use disorder care.

Specifically, Murthy advised that hospitals and health systems should listen to staff and seek their involvement to improve workflows and organizational culture. On the mental health front he called for ensuring on-demand counseling and increased accessibility to after-work care.

THE LARGER TREND

A whopping 98% of physicians said they engage with news or medical information during the average workday, including in between patient visits, but the majority said they spend 30 minutes or less reviewing this information, with a notable 41% spending 15 minutes or less, according to the report. The data suggests physicians could benefit from brief yet impactful information that can be easily digested throughout the workday.

The amount of information physicians have to keep up with is expanding at an unprecedented rate, according to Doximity. It's estimated that in 1950 it took about 50 years for medical knowledge to double. By 2010, medical knowledge was doubling at an estimated rate of every 3.5 years, and this trend is expected to continue.

More than 77% also believe content optimized for mobile devices is efficient, while only about 38% of physicians believe the same is true for content optimized for desktop computers. These findings are consistent with Doximity usage data, showing that in the past 12 months, 83% of physician engagement on its newsfeed was conducted using a mobile device.

Over 90% of physicians surveyed report an interest in learning about medical treatments online, while nearly 85% report a similar interest in research updates. When learning about a new treatment, two-thirds of physicians (66%) report an interest in learning about insurance coverage, and about 95% report interest in reviewing clinical guidelines. Patient resources are also of high interest among three out of four physicians.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com