Mountains of Modules: Assessment and Redesign of Online Mandatory Training to Promote Physician Wellness and Reduce Burnout

Healthcare organizations commonly use mandatory online training modules to meet regulatory compliance and improve patient safety and quality of care. These well-intentioned efforts have increasingly burdened physicians and detracted from physician wellness. The authors aimed to characterize this burden and identify opportunities to redesign the module to reduce this burden while maintaining regulatory compliance. A cross-sectional cohort study analyzed module completion data for physicians from 18 clinical departments who completed at least one (of multiple assigned) mandatory online training modules between January 1, 2022, and February 14, 2023. More than 1,300 academic physicians completed at least one mandatory training module. Total time requirement and “off-hours” completion of mandatory training modules suggests that this uncompensated effort places a substantial burden on physicians. In response to these findings, healthcare organizations should take action to prioritize physician wellness alongside regulatory compliance and educational needs in any mandatory online training modules.