The effect of Electronic Health Records on the medical professional identity of physicians: a systematic literature review

Electronic Health Records (EHR) have become standard practice and have altered the way physicians work and communicate with their patients. This changing work environment may subsequently influence the perceived professional identity of physicians. In this study, we aim to understand the impact of EHR use on the medical professional identity of physicians. We conducted a systematic literature review which resulted in the analysis of 34 papers that met inclusion quality criteria. The literature suggests that EHRs make the interaction between patients and physicians more formal and standardized. In addition, physicians experience a decrease in their autonomy which negatively influences their experienced professional identity. Based on these findings, we recommend examining how EHRs can allow physicians to focus more on medical work and communication with their patients and be less distracted by EHR requirements so that their medical professional identity can be restored or enhanced.