Fact · Dictation for work and study
5.9hours of EHR time per weekday
In a 2017 study of primary care physicians at one academic health system, clinicians spent 355 minutes, or 5.9 hours, of an 11.4-hour workday in the EHR on each weekday.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Clinicians spent 355 minutes (5.9 hours) of an 11.4-hour workday in the EHR per weekday per 1.0 clinical full-time equivalent”
Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event Log Data and Time-Motion Observations, Brian G. Arndt et al., Annals of Family Medicine, 2017, Results.
Open the original (DOI 10.1370/afm.2121)- What it measures
- The figures come from EHR user-event logs and time-motion observations in primary care clinics of one academic health system. They are per clinical full-time equivalent, meaning a full-time clinician's workload.
- What it does not show
- One health system in 2016. The event logs count EHR activity, including clerical and administrative work, and do not separate note writing alone.