#physicaltherapy
Level Setting.
I wrote about burnout and AI in #physicaltherapy in a prior posts. Much has been written to the former about its definition and challenges, the least of which it is multifactorial and multidimensional and very hard to curb, especially when new PT’s who are burned out then land at employers who have to address. As to AI, it has the major impediments that we see in all healthcare, such as stifling regulatory requirements that historically hamper technology progress. In this week’s post, I explore whether AI for documentation has anything to do with ending burnout. While I am hugely excited and optimistic that AI will, like it is doing already for MDs, significantly reduce documentation time and provide a welcomed relief from screen time, I am not confident that it will impact anything on burnout, even though the “death by a thousand clicks” is most often cited for causality.
Let’s get into it.
We’ve all heard the buzz: AI note-writing software will be the miracle cure for burnout, right? I mean, who doesn’t want to wave goodbye to hours of documentation and finally get out of the clinic before sunset? It sounds too good to be true, and well, it just might be.
While AI may save us some time initially, research shows that burnout is a lot more complicated than just paperwork. A recent study by Cantu and colleagues (2022) and an eye-opening article by Dr. Dike Drummond (2024) suggest that AI might actually end up making things worse if we’re not careful. Let’s break it down.
Burnout: More Than Just Notes
Sure, documentation is a headache for most physical therapists, but Cantu’s study reveals that burnout is influenced by much more than just notes. The real culprits? Productivity demands, billing pressures, and how we feel about the ethical environment at work. In fact, the study showed that therapists working under higher productivity standards were twice as likely to experience burnout. It’s not just the long hours of note-writing — it’s the feeling of being squeezed by the system.
What’s more, 75% of PTs surveyed were already considering leaving their job due to burnout, citing the ethical climate of their workplace as a major factor. Even if AI helps reduce your documentation time, if you’re still under pressure to meet unrealistic productivity goals or upcharge patients, you’re not going to escape burnout’s grip. We also explored in last week’s post how physical therapy productivity has already been oddly reduced artificially by the system itself through Medicare and other rules that take our “neck up” skills honed in our education to effectively make us a technician once we get to clinical practice and this is likely one of many reasons why the majority of licensed physical therapists over time do not practice clinically.
AI: The Double-Edged Sword
Dr. Dike Drummond, in his 2024 article ”Stop Physician Burnout: The Hidden Danger of AI Note-Writing Software,” raises a critical warning about the short-lived relief that AI might provide. He points out that while AI can reduce the time spent on documentation by up to 50%, it often leads to an increase in patient quotas. His observation shows that organizations quickly adapt to any newfound efficiencies by piling on more work — meaning the time saved by AI is just filled with more patients, not more balance. As pointed out in the Cantu article, this shift in time and emphasis might unintentionally contribute to more burnout and turnover.
Let’s face it: Employers love efficiency. So, once you’re wrapping up notes in record time, it’s highly likely that management will increase your patient load. After all, why waste that newfound productivity? Drummond’s article mentions that physicians using AI tools were swamped with even more patients, leading to an even more intense burnout cycle. In physical therapy, the more patient dilemma is even more difficult given the industry has lost productivity due to the move by payors to reduce our profession to technician level based on 1:1 and timed units. In a future post, we will explore how this reality has caused an artificial revenue cap and thus a salary cap to some extent fora physical therapist.
It’s Not Just About Productivity
Cantu’s and Drummond’s work emphasizes that burnout is not just a matter of too many patients or notes. It’s about ethical stress, moral conflicts, and the overall environment in which we work. Cantu’s study found that pressure to upcharge or overbook patients leads to higher levels of burnout. And even if AI handles the documentation for you, those pressures aren’t going anywhere. AI can’t fix a toxic work culture.
Ethical Climate: The Real Game-Changer
Interestingly, the Cantu study found that physical therapists who reported a positive ethical climate in their workplace were much less likely to burn out or consider leaving their jobs. It’s not just about having fewer patients or faster notes; it’s about working in an environment that values ethical care and realistic expectations. Drummond echoes this sentiment, warning that AI can only address a fraction of the problem. Without addressing the broader ethical and workload issues, burnout will persist, and possibly worsen.
The Takeaway
AI might simplify documentation, but it won’t solve the bigger issues causing burnout. In fact, if we’re not careful, it could lead to even more productivity demands, leaving us feeling even more overwhelmed. To truly tackle burnout, we need to address the systemic problems — unrealistic productivity goals, billing pressures, toxic workplace cultures, and unnecessary bureaucracy — not just the paperwork.
Unrelated but related and as discussed in prior post: AI for items like compliance, RCM, pre-cert, and even recruiting will likely have a better ROI than documentation. AI for documentation is needed and needed fast but not sure its ROI will be easy to calculate.
Before we jump on the AI bandwagon, let’s ask the real questions: What’s the long-term plan for the time AI frees up? Will patient loads increase? And what’s being done to fix the ethical and cultural issues in our workplaces?
Until we address those deeper issues, AI will just be putting a shiny band-aid on a much bigger wound.
Have you experienced AI note-writing software at your clinic? Let’s discuss whether it’s helped or just added to the stress! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
larry
@physicaltherapy
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Sources:
Cantu, R., Carter, L., & Elkins, J. (2022). Burnout and intent-to-leave in physical therapists: a preliminary analysis of factors under organizational control. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 38(13), 2988–2997.
Drummond, 2024, ”Stop Physician Burnout: The Hidden Danger of AI Note-Writing Software,”
