This is why nurses and physicians must come together. We must acknowledge the harm done by these ever-increasing documentation requirements, without losing the core benefits of electronic record keeping.

One inspiration comes from a surprising place. Electronic health records are almost universally disliked, with one telling exception, those used by clinicians at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The reason: Billing concerns don’t shape the records at government-run V.A. hospitals. They document only what’s necessary to deliver better care.

Why can’t the rest of the health care system do the same? For example, some hospitals already have a periodic review of their electronic health records, paring items that do not relate directly to patients; more hospitals could do the same, and all could do it more aggressively. Another: A group of coders at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah is working on a more radical solution, called “activity-based design,” which updates records by voice, and offers helpful care algorithms to clinicians as they interact with patients.

Part of the reason for inaction is that not enough clinicians are making it loud and clear that change is necessary. Doing so requires a unified voice across our professions — and unfortunately, right now, doctors and nurses are anything but unified.

Physicians earn much more money than nurses and have much higher status in the medical hierarchy, which can lead to resentment from nurses when that higher status is abused. The gendered history of both professions also contributes to a view of nurses as fundamentally subordinate to physicians.

Most important, the experience of nurses is often invisible to doctors, even though they typically work alongside them. There are examples of respectful working friendships on the front lines, but the legacy of hierarchy persists, and keeps us from focusing on our common struggles.

Doctors would be wise to let nurses take the lead. For years, nurses have organized to improve hospital working conditions, in particular fighting for better staffing levels. The Service Employees International Union and National Nurses United represent nurses all over the United States, and in general are good at getting their demands met.