Doctors have the highest suicide rates among all professions. Is technology the reason or the answer?

A tough statistic followed by a provocative question is how tech CEO Morris Panner kicks off a recent commentary at Forbes, and while there is no shortage of data pointing to new health IT as often as much burden as relief, Panner ends up arguing that AI, while not a total solution, can help physicians struggling with burnout, and worse.

“According to a 2018 report from the Physicians Foundation,” Panner begins, “as many as 78% of those surveyed feel professionally burnt out at least sometimes, which is 4% higher than the 2016 survey. Physicians are also showing suicide rates at twice the level of the general population.”

Indeed, according to Marshall S. Runge, dean of the University of Michigan Medical School, “Numerous studies reveal that physician burnout — generally defined as a loss of enthusiasm for work, feelings of cynicism and a low sense of personal accomplishment — is a major problem, (and) it is estimated that 300 to 400 doctors take their lives every year.”

Technology, of course, is supposed to be a help for providers and patients alike, but it bears its share of blame for the burden, too.

Notes Panner, “physicians spend a great deal of time inputting information into electronic health records (EHR) – twice as much time as they typically spend attending to patients. This, combined with a staggering amount of documentation required for insurance coverage, reimbursement, and medical and legal liability (e.g., malpractice), is a major contributor to physician burnout.”

Still, he points to three scenarios that he says demonstrate the emerging potential of AI in the role of reducing the physician burnout epidemic.

First, there’s the role AI can play in data management and day-to-day operations.

“Physicians can put data into databases electronically without the use of a keyboard and can ask for lab results and charts to be displayed automatically with a single voice command,” Panner explains, citing examples of AI-assisted technology helping providers both at the point of care and with tasks such as scheduling.

Next, there’s the role AI can play in decision support. “Using AI, physicians can work with confidence that they are making informed, meaningful decisions, which can, in turn, become data points that will influence other clinician’s decisions,” he says.

Finally, there’s the role of AI in diagnosis and treatment.  As an example, he points to AI-based interactive chatbots that can help to onboard patients, analyze responses and provide feedback on their “likely health conditions and risks.”

Naturally, Panner notes, “there is probably never going to be a universal remedy for physician burnout, and AI will never fully replace the essential human touch.”

That said, he believes that as AI makes deeper forays into healthcare, stakeholders can expect technology “to alleviate the many administrative burdens associated with the profession, thereby ensuring more quality time spent with patients and better outcomes in care.”