Peer-reviewed research
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 · DOI 10.1370/afm.2121
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A workload study of primary care physicians at one academic health system that combined EHR user-event logs with direct time-motion observation. It measures how much of the workday, and of the time after clinic, physicians spend in the EHR.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed and widely cited. One academic primary care system from 2016, so the hours describe that setting rather than the national average. Event logs record clicks in the EHR, not every minute of documentation.
Facts taken from this source
- 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.
“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” (Results)
- In the same 2017 study, primary care clinicians spent 269 minutes (4.5 hours) in the EHR during clinic hours and 86 minutes (1.4 hours) after clinic hours on each weekday.
“269 minutes (4.5 hours) during clinic hours and 86 minutes (1.4 hours) after clinic hours” (Results)