Nearly one in three UK doctors may be “burnt out” and “stressed,” according to the results of an in-depth survey, published in the online journal BMJ Open.

The findings indicate that doctors working in emergency medicine and general practice are the most at risk of exhaustion, stress and compassion fatigue.

Considering this and in support of Stress Awareness Month, I want to highlight why EPR usability shouldn’t be overlooked.

In healthcare, lives are at risk if technology doesn’t support safe clinical practice. Despite this, the sector has lagged behind other industries with trusts often running on dated, inefficient systems.

Speak to anyone in the NHS and they will be able to tell you stories of frustrations with technology. Stories of having to log in multiple times, often necessitating different passwords and credentials, because patient notes, observations, test results and radiology images are viewed in different systems.

It’s not uncommon to log into all these programmes to view a patient’s information, only to have to change location within the hospital and then start the process again because there is no “follow-me” system setup. But not only that, when you have logged into the right place, it can often take multiple steps, or clicks, to carry out tasks which are repeated many times every day. This is usability and it’s becoming more of a focus point as we understand the impact that this constant frustration has on clinicians and their patients.

Usability should be considered in its broadest terms. It is the workflows, or clicks, that a clinician must take when navigating the EPR. But it is also the speed of the solution, which is going to be determined not by the software, but by a hospital’s hardware and infrastructure. Another element is how the user interface looks and specifically, whether it helps the end user navigate the system.

EPRs should have a well-developed human-centric design positioning everything within one step of the dashboard. They should also be flexible, offering the opportunity to configure workflows depending on the needs of the trust or department.

At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, for example, the phlebotomy team configured its entire workflow in the EPR so it could be viewed on a single screen. The team has all the needed equipment on a mobile unit enabling them to move around the hospital and input any specimen collections electronically. This has saved up to eight hours per day filling out pathology forms.

As the convergence agenda continues, data sharing will be a priority and is a further determinant in the usability of technology solutions. With regards to integrations, the more usable a system is, the more likely it is to be used. So, the more that data is added in a timely fashion, the more data there is to be shared. This in turn leads to better availability of data and so decisions are made with the highest level of evidence, resulting in better quality care.

As we look towards the summit of healthcare, we know EPR systems have revolutionised healthcare, but their uses can also be a prime source of stress for doctors. By prioritising usability, you can help alleviate this stress and improve patient care. As we mark Stress Awareness Month, we must remember the importance of investing in technology that works for clinicians and enables them to provide higher levels of care for their patients. Not just in theory, but in practice.