In 2024, doctors in many fields, including pediatrics, work about 57.8 hours a week on average. Out of this time, about 27.2 hours are spent directly caring for patients. Another 13 hours go to tasks like writing notes, entering orders, and reviewing test results. About 7.3 hours each week are used for other administrative work. Pediatricians specifically work slightly fewer hours—52.8 per week in 2024, down from 54.3 in 2023—but their workload is still heavy.
About 22.5% of doctors spend more than eight hours a week outside normal work times managing electronic health records. This extra time is often called “pajama time” because it happens at home, sometimes late at night. Even though many try to cut down on this, it remains a common problem and contributes to doctors feeling burned out. In 2024, 43.2% of doctors said they had at least one symptom of burnout. This is a little better than before but still shows that many doctors feel stressed by their work and paperwork.
Pediatricians have extra challenges because they need to write detailed notes and follow complex rules. These extra tasks take away time from seeing patients. They also make doctors tired and unhappy with their jobs, which can affect how well they care for children.
The American Medical Association (AMA) created several playbooks under the STEPS Forward® program. These guides help doctors and clinics improve how they work and handle paperwork. The playbooks give clear steps for making documentation easier and speeding up pediatric care workflows.
Key parts of these playbooks include:
Using these steps can reduce extra paperwork and create work settings that help pediatricians care for patients better and feel happier at work.
Texas Children’s Pediatrics started an AI-supported documentation program for over 250 pediatricians at more than 50 places. This system automates routine note writing so doctors spend less time typing and more time with patients and families. It helps make accurate, personalized notes based on the visit.
The Permanente Medical Group uses ambient AI scribes that listen to doctor-patient talks and write notes at the same time. These scribes also summarize appointments and highlight key information. This lowers the need for after-hours note writing, known as “pajama time,” and helps doctors spend more face-to-face time with patients.
By cutting manual data entry, these AI tools help lower doctor burnout and improve pediatric care quality.
Ochsner Health uses AI not just for notes but also to manage patient messages. Doctors get many messages needing replies, which takes time. AI assistants read these messages, draft replies, and sort priorities. This helps doctors work faster without losing good communication with patients.
At Baptist Health Medical Group, nurses help manage doctor inboxes during time off. This teamwork, supported by technology, keeps patient care steady and lowers after-hours work, helping doctors balance work and life better.
Geisinger Health System uses advanced AI to make clinical workflows smoother beyond just documentation. The AI automates repetitive tasks and improves coordination, letting doctors spend more time focused on patients. This shows how technology can not only lower paperwork but also improve care delivery.
The University of Iowa Health Care and Northwell Health Neurology practice use AI and team-based care approaches, like clinical pharmacists and AI-driven chart reviews, to reduce mental load on doctors and improve note accuracy.
Medical practice leaders and IT managers in pediatric offices should think about several things when using evidence-based playbooks and AI tools to improve documentation and doctor satisfaction:
Using these methods helps pediatric healthcare teams in many ways. When documentation is easier through evidence-based playbooks and AI automation, doctors say they feel less burned out. With fewer paperwork demands, doctors spend more real time with patients. This lets them give more personal and focused care.
Doctors enjoy their jobs more when they can focus on clinical work instead of clerical tasks. Studies show that when tasks like note writing and message handling are easier, doctors feel more satisfied and have better work-life balance. Pediatric clinics using these methods support healthier staff and better care for kids.
Pediatric healthcare groups keep facing hard challenges balancing documentation needs, patient care, and doctor satisfaction. Using proven workflow improvements and smart automation offers practical ways to address these problems.
Practice leaders, owners, and IT managers should plan carefully for adopting frameworks like AMA STEPS Forward® along with AI tools made for pediatric notes and communication. These efforts, supported by strong leadership and ongoing review, can improve pediatric workflow, reduce doctor burnout, and raise overall clinic performance.
By carefully choosing EHR contracts, supporting team care models, and using AI-powered solutions, pediatric practices across the U.S. can build lasting improvements in documentation and doctor job satisfaction. In the end, this benefits both children’s health and the care teams that serve them.
AI streamlines documentation by automating note-taking, summarizing patient interactions, and assisting in drafting responses. This reduces the hours physicians spend on electronic health records (EHR), especially outside of clinical hours, thus decreasing burnout and enhancing time for patient care.
Geisinger uses AI to optimize workflows and reclaim physician time. Texas Children’s Pediatrics implemented AI-supported documentation to reduce rote note-taking. The Permanente Medical Group employs ambient AI scribes for real-time transcription, improving physician satisfaction and patient interaction.
Physicians, including pediatricians, spend extensive hours on indirect patient care and administrative tasks such as documentation, insurance forms, and order entry. This administrative burden extends beyond work hours, contributing to burnout and reducing time available for direct patient care.
Pediatricians reported an average of 52.8-hour workweeks in 2024, with significant time devoted to documentation and indirect patient care, slightly lower than previous years but still substantial enough to impact work-life balance.
Health systems employ team-based care, embed clinical pharmacists, train medical assistants as scribes, and educate physicians on efficient billing methods. Tools like AMA STEPS Forward® provide playbooks for workflow optimization and reducing redundant tasks.
Ambient AI documentation allows physicians to focus on the patient during visits instead of typing notes. This real-time transcription ensures detailed, accurate medical records while enhancing physician-patient interaction and personalized care quality.
AI assists physicians by managing inboxes, filtering messages, drafting responses, and automating documentation tasks outside clinical hours. This helps physicians avoid ‘pajama time’ — work done after hours — improving their well-being.
Health systems educate physicians on alternatives to note-heavy documentation, such as time-based billing, and integrate scribes and AI tools to reduce excessive or redundant notes, making documentation more concise and efficient.
AI-supported documentation reduces the time spent on administrative tasks, thereby decreasing burnout and enhancing job satisfaction by allowing more time for meaningful patient interactions and reducing after-hours work.
AMA’s ‘Saving Time Playbook’ and ‘Taming the EHR Playbook’ offer evidence-based strategies to streamline workflows, reduce redundant EHR tasks, and enhance physician well-being. These resources guide healthcare leaders in implementing systemic changes for sustainable improvements.
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