CHEST Immersion Severe Asthma May 29-30, 2024-Day in the Life of Pulm -Hegewald

Day in the Life of Pulm -Hegewald

Pdf Summary

This document provides insights into the demographics and challenges faced by pulmonologists in the US. It highlights that there is a high prevalence of asthma and COPD in "pulmonology deserts" where access to pulmonologists is limited. The data indicates a shortage of pulmonologists, with many practitioners nearing retirement age, leading to a projected deficit by 2025. The text also describes the diverse roles and settings in which pulmonologists work, including academic, private practice, and specialty focuses such as pulmonary hypertension or lung cancer.<br /><br />In terms of daily activities, a pulmonologist typically spends around 30% of their time on academic pursuits, 15% as a medical director, and 55% on clinical duties. This clinical time is further broken down into various tasks such as clinic visits, pulmonary function test readings, inpatient consults, and ICU attendings. The document also touches on the impact of Electronic Health Records (EHR) on physician time, revealing that EHR tasks can take up a significant portion of a physician's day, leaving less time for direct patient care.<br /><br />Overall, the text sheds light on the demanding but essential role of pulmonologists, the challenges they face in terms of access and workload, and how factors like EHR systems can influence their daily practice.

Keywords

pulmonologists

challenges

asthma

COPD

shortage

academic pursuits

clinical duties

Electronic Health Records

patient care

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease