Table 2.

Recommendations to Prepare for Generational Shifts

Recommendation	Examples	Rationale
Incorporate technologies that make clinical workflows and patient experiences more efficient and convenient	Virtual scribes that automate all or parts of clinical documentation. Self-service patient scheduling that allows patients to schedule/reschedule their appointments. Asynchronous telemedicine that gives physicians more control over their schedules and when to see patients	Younger generations of physicians and patients expect more control over their schedule and lifestyle. Physicians will want more control over their schedules, when and where they provide care, and increasing efficiency in their work. Patients will expect more “on demand” convenience and self-service options; less tolerant of waiting times.
Adapt clinical workflows to fit the cognitive processes of younger generations	Incorporate more opportunities to deliver care virtually. Real-time, Wikipedia-like medical charts that physicians and patients can dynamically update.	Younger generations (patients and physicians) are more comfortable communicating and interacting virtually. They also use more collaborative, synchronous documentation methods like cloud-based services like Google Drive.
Less hierarchical culture of medicine	Health systems include younger clinicians and staff in key meetings and decision-making processes.	Including younger clinicians and staff will provide insights into newer technologies, emerging usage patterns, and behaviors that health systems can better anticipate and prepare for.
Technology-based training throughout the year	EMR training offered multiple times throughout the year to accommodate software upgrades, teaching new features, and reinforcing best practices. Training should be encouraged for physicians with above average charting time and/or lower efficiency scores.	EMR upgrades can be disruptive to physicians who have established workflows. Regular EMR upgrades can cause temporary but significant decreases in productivity and efficiency for some physicians. Regular training can help to minimize these detrimental impacts.