Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1156103
Letting Physicians Be ... BY STEVE BARRETT SOME WHERE, IN THEORY, A PHYSICIAN WENT INTO THE PROFESSION FOR THE SHEER JOY OF FILLING OUT EHRs. B U T H E A LT H C A R E O R G A N I Z AT I O N S seeking to boost recruitment might want to zero in on the higher number of physicians who would rather care for patients than handle bureaucratic chores. While acknowledging the importance of compensation and benefits in attracting physicians, Stamford, Connecticut-based recruitment firm Katon Direct identifies burnout and other risks of workplaces where physicians spend inordinate amounts of time on documentation. The company suggests that vigorous support for providers in managing those tasks is important as a recruiting tool. "A recent study showed that clinicians spent double the time on EHR documentation and administrative work as on direct, face-to-face time with patients," Katon Direct notes in a white paper on its website. "This reality is contributing to physician burnout and dissatisfaction. It also negatively impacts recruit - ment, engagement and retention." Providers are interested in organizations that address those concerns through measures such as hiring clinical scribes, according to the company. Clinical scribes take a good deal of the burden of medical documentation off physicians. Working dedicated administrative time into physicians' schedules can be beneficial as well. Healthcare organizations that have taken these kinds of steps should be sure to convey that to job candidates, Katon Direct advises. n PHYSICIANS 059990055_PhysicianRecruitment2.indd 1 5/9/19 12:29 PM PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT BY STEVE BARRETT Motion- Capturing Fabric AT H L E T E S A N D P H Y S I C A L therapy patients are among those who could benefit from a newly developed fabric that monitors joint rotation. Computer scientists at Dartmouth College designed the motion-capturing fabric, which was the subject of a study published recently in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies. The fabric achieved a high level of precision in reconstructing elbow joint angles, the study found. Coaches could use the washable fabric to correct arm motion in athletes such as baseball pitchers, according to a news release from Dartmouth. It could also enhance evaluation of the effectiveness of treatments prescribed to physical therapy patients. The fabric includes elastic fiber, nylon and yarns thinly coated with silver for conductivity. A detachable microcontroller records data on fabric resistance. "We wear fabrics all the time, so they provide the perfect medium for continuous sensing," says Xia Zhou, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth. n Sleep Monitoring With PJs R E S E A R C H E R S AT T H E University of Massachusetts, Amherst have developed sleepwear to unobtrusively monitor sleep-influencing factors such as sleep pos- ture, heartbeat and breathing. The goal is to improve sleep patterns, according to a release from the university. Researchers presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. Using a process known as reactive vapor deposition, the scientists created a polymer they were able to place directly on the fabric to craft integrated sensors. Five textile patches house the sensors, which are connected by silver-plated nylon threads encased in cotton. They relay information to a button-size circuit board and a wireless receiver. Separate types of sensors in the washable sleepwear pick up readings such as posture and blood pressure. n M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 019 1 5