Improving Obstetrician Burnout With a Mobile Application for Electronic Fetal Monitoring [ID 972]

INTRODUCTION: Burnout occurs in over 50% of obstetricians and is caused in part by administrative burdens and task overload. One significant contributor to task burden is the process of accessing and documenting on electronic fetal monitoring (EFM). To mitigate these contributors to burnout, we developed a novel software application (NM’s Labor Link) that allows quick, easy, real-time review of and documentation on EFM from obstetric providers’ mobile devices. This study evaluates the effect of NM’s Labor Link on obstetrician workflows and burnout. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study involving pre- and post-intervention surveys and in-depth interviews with obstetricians at Northwestern Medicine. Surveys were distributed to 126 obstetricians 1 month prior to the app’s implementation and 125 obstetricians 16 months after. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with frequent app users to explore qualitative insights into the app’s effect on workflow and satisfaction. RESULTS: Survey response rates were 35% pre-intervention and 34% post-intervention. After the implementation of NM’s Labor Link, obstetricians reported decreased difficulty in accessing EFM (33.3% versus 65.9%, P =.003) and documenting on EFM (47.6% versus 70.5%, P =.03) while not on labor and delivery. In interviews, they described that NM’s Labor Link was useful for remote monitoring, managing high-stress situations, reducing unnecessary phone communications, and mitigating task burden. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: NM’s Labor Link significantly reduced barriers to accessing and documenting on EFM, suggesting that mobile technology can alleviate key contributors to burnout. This innovation highlights the potential for health care systems to address clinician burnout through targeted technological interventions.