Managing the electronic medical record (EMR) system's inbox workload effectively is important for maintaining provider productivity and well-being. Within a cohort of cardiology nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Mayo Clinic Arizona, it was identified that managing the EMR's inbox messages was the largest contributor to high reports of burnout. Based on this finding, a quality improvement project was developed to evaluate contributing factors, and an intervention of 1 hour per day was dedicated to inbox management. The study measured message volume, turnaround time, time spent on EMR inbox work, and staff satisfaction. Turnaround time improved by 50% initially but increased later in the study. Time spent on inbox work decreased by 23% to 30%, and provider satisfaction significantly improved. In this study, dedicated time for inbox management improved efficiency and provider satisfaction. Future efforts should focus on sustaining these improvements and further optimizing workflows.
O’Connor et al. (Mon,) studied this question.