Machine learning, AI can help ease the trend of physician burnout

Dr. Steven Waldren, vice president and chief informatics officer at the American Academy of Family Physicians, right, and Dr. Kamel Sadek, director of informatics at Village Medical, speak at the HIMSS22 conference in Orlando. ORLANDO, Fla. – Even before COVID-19 made the business of healthcare a nightmare for countless physicians and clinicians, burnout was a prevalent issue. And even the slow, still-ongoing emergence into normalcy hasn't been enough to ease this trend: Clerical burdens, including clinical documentation, are a major contributor. But for primary care physicians in particular, a new class of technology, including AI-powered digital assistants, is improving their capacity and capability, while reducing their administrative and cognitive burden. Dr. Steven Waldren, vice president and chief informatics officer at the American Academy of Family Physicians, cited data showing that the average patient visit to a PCP takes about 18 minutes, and of that time, 27% is dedicated to face-to-face time with a patient.