A study monitored the EHR use by 141 academic PCPs practicing family medicine, internal medicine, and general pediatrics within the University of Wisconsin-Madison health system from May 2019 to March 2023 (pre-, mid-, and post-COVID eras).

Patients' expectations regarding telemedicine and portal access were probably impacted by the quick switch to virtual treatment at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Some patients had expected same-day responses from their PCP instead of an in-person or telemedicine appointment, according to the report.

PCPs are spending more and more time in the EHR. 

In light of the increasing demand for patient care, which includes a steady rise in the number of patient medical advice messages, health systems must devise plans to alter the trajectory of the overall EHR workload to reduce the occupational stress experienced by PCPs.

 Emphasis should be placed on preventing needless losses in the number of effective physicians that may arise from the heavier EHR workload.