Electronic Health Record Use During Paid Time Off Among Primary Care Physicians

Burnout is increasingly prevalent among primary care physicians (PCPs) and is linked to electronic health record (EHR) use.Thus, the importance of organizational efforts to support fully disengaging from work-related activities during vacation could enhance patient care quality and reduce costs.However, a national survey of 3024 physicians across specialties between 2020 and 2021 found that 70.4% worked during vacation days. Additionally, 59.6% reported taking 15 or fewer vacation days in the previous year. Physicians cited finding clinical coverage, financial impact, and EHR inbox volume as barriers to taking vacations. Building on these findings, our study uses objective EHR data to quantitatively assess PCPs’ work during paid time off (PTO).