The Hidden Cost of Clicks: Why EMR Usability Still Matters

Every clinician knows the feeling: a long day of patient visits followed by hours of charting long after clinic hours—often at the kitchen table. What used to be “paperwork” is now “click work.”

And while EMRs were meant to make care more efficient, many have instead made documentation more complex, more fragmented, and far more time-consuming.

This hidden cost—measured in clicks, fatigue, and lost time—has become one of the most persistent sources of clinician burnout.

“Click Fatigue” and Its Real-World Impact

A 2024 JAMA Network Open study found that only about one-quarter of family physicians were “very satisfied” with their electronic records, and that lower usability scores correlated strongly with higher burnout rates. Physicians reported that cumbersome interfaces, excessive clicks, and non-intuitive workflows directly impacted their energy and focus throughout the day.

In primary care, these inefficiencies add up fast. Every extra screen, drop-down, or pop-up compounds over dozens of encounters. The result: a full clinical day that ends with another unpaid shift—“pyjama time”—spent catching up on unfinished notes.

Beyond frustration, poor usability affects how clinicians think. When the interface demands constant micro-decisions—Where’s that field again? Which tab shows the meds?—it drains cognitive bandwidth that should be spent on patient care.

Why Usability Often Gets Overlooked

How did we get here?

The problem isn’t just technology—it’s history.

Most EMRs were originally designed to satisfy billing, compliance, and data-capture requirements, not to mirror the realities of a clinical encounter. As a result, they often prioritize what must be recorded over how clinicians actually work.

A 2024 BMC Health Services Research review found that usability issues—such as complex navigation, alert fatigue, and data-entry overload—were among the most frequent sources of workflow disruption in clinical settings.

In short: EMR design has too often served the system, not the clinician.

The Human Impact: Burnout, Focus Loss, and “Pyjama Time”

Canadian clinicians increasingly link EMR design to their well-being. According to a Digital Health Canada report, documentation burden and poor usability are major contributors to EMR-related burnout across the country .

When an EMR slows you down, it does more than eat up time—it erodes focus and connection. Physicians report spending more time looking at screens than patients, struggling to stay present during visits, and feeling less satisfied with their work.

This constant cognitive strain feeds the three hallmarks of burnout:

• Emotional exhaustion from overwork and frustration

• Depersonalization — feeling detached from patients

• Reduced sense of accomplishment despite long hours

And it’s cyclical: the more time spent fixing the EMR, the less time available for rest, reflection, or genuine patient interaction.

What Good Usability Actually Looks Like

So what does a usable EMR look like?

Usability isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about fit. The best systems mirror real clinical thinking:

• Task-centric workflows that align with how clinicians chart, order, and review data

• Reduced clicks by grouping related actions and eliminating unnecessary steps

• Intuitive layouts where the next step feels obvious, not buried

• Smart automation that surfaces information when it’s relevant, not interruptive

• Customization that supports, rather than constrains, individual work styles

Research consistently shows that EMRs designed around these principles reduce documentation time, cognitive load, and frustration—while improving data accuracy and even safety (BMC Health Services Research, 2024).

Good usability doesn’t just make software easier—it makes care feel human again.

The Bigger Picture: Usability, Clinic Sustainability, and Patient Care

When usability improves, everyone benefits.

Clinicians reclaim hours of lost time, staff experience fewer handoff errors, and patients enjoy more attentive visits. Clinics that prioritize usability see downstream gains: lower turnover, fewer sick days, smoother onboarding, and more sustainable operations overall.

Ultimately, EMR usability isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a foundation for quality care, professional satisfaction, and long-term clinic viability.

As one physician put it in a 2023 CMAJ commentary, “The EMR should serve the patient clinician relationship—not stand between it”.

Clicks may seem small, but they add up—to hours, to stress, and to lost connection.

If your EMR feels like more work than help, it might not be you—it might be the design. Follow us to learn how Aeon Health is rethinking EMR design to help clinicians focus on care, not clicks.