Language
English
Publication Date
10-1-2025
Journal
Applied Clinical Informatics
DOI
10.1055/a-2620-3147
PMID
40419253
PMCID
PMC12534124
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
10-17-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Background
Electronic health records (EHRs) are widely implemented and consume nearly half of physicians' work time. Despite the importance of efficient data entry, physicians' typing skills—potential contributors to documentation burden—remain poorly studied.
Objective
This study aims to evaluate the typing skills of physicians and their associations with demographic characteristics and professional roles.
Methods
This cross-sectional pilot study included a convenience sample of physicians (residents, chief residents, and attending physicians) from the internal medicine division of an academic hospital. Participants completed a 1-minute typing test under supervised conditions. The primary outcome was raw typing speed, measured in words per minute (WPM). The secondary outcome was a performance score calculated by subtracting 50 points for each error from the total number of characters typed per minute.
Results
Participation rate was 100% (82/82 physicians). The mean age was 33.7 ± 7.3 years; 7.2 ± 7.1 years since graduation; and 45.1% female. The mean typing speed was 53.4 WPM (range: 31–91 WPM), with 57.3% (47/82) of participants exceeding 50 WPM, a threshold commonly considered professional. Bivariate analysis showed a significant negative association with age (Spearman's ρ = −0.281, p = 0.011), which was not sustained in the multivariable analysis. No significant association was observed with sex, country of diploma, or role. Upon multivariable analysis, performance score showed a significant negative association with age (β = −17.724, p = 0.009) but a positive association with years since graduation (β = 16.850, p = 0.021), suggesting a generation- and experience-related interaction.
Conclusion
Nearly half of physicians exhibited professional-level typing skills, yet overall performance varied widely and was influenced by both generational factors and clinical experience. Given that documentation burden affects clinicians across all skill levels, both individual and systemic strategies—such as improved EHR design and alternative input methods—should be explored.
Keywords
Pilot Projects, Humans, Internal Medicine, Female, Male, Physicians, Adult, Electronic Health Records, Time Factors, Middle Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, electronic health records, documentation burden, medicine, human–computer interaction
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Bastardot, Francois; Kraege, Vanessa; Castioni, Julien; et al., "Typing Proficiency among Physicians in Internal Medicine: A Pilot Study of Speed and Performance" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 8497.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/8497