5 Surprising Ways a Medical Scribe Can Help a Health Service

Medical scribes record patients’ medical histories for practices, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare services. Scribes document patient-physician interactions and record medical information, diagnoses, and treatment plans. Here are just some of the ways medical scribes can help a health service, from enhancing patient care to helping inform patients’ families.  

Enhanced Patient Care

One surprising benefit of having a medical scribe is the improvement in patient experience. Doctors who are burdened by typing and note-taking are less able to fully engage with patients. Eye contact, empathy, and active listening are all crucial aspects of interaction and can suffer when a doctor is too busy documenting.

A study entitled “Medical Scribes, Provider and Patient Experience, and Patient Throughput: a Trial in an Academic General Internal Medicine Practice” concluded, “patients were generally open and welcoming to a scribe being in the room. Statistically, patients did not report a diminished experience despite their visit lengths being shorter, perhaps because the shorter visit came with greater ability for providers to attend to their medical needs.”

A medical scribe enables the doctor to focus on the patient, handling all documentation-related tasks. The patient can receive their doctor’s undivided attention. Scribes contribute to shorter waiting times and more efficient appointments, allowing doctors to see more patients in a given window – without sacrificing quality of care. Studies have shown that improved patient experiences lead to better health outcomes.

Reduced Burnout

The hustle and bustle of modern living contributes to many professionals feeling overwhelmed and run down. Physician burnout is a very real and alarming phenomenon and isn’t helped by healthcare’s administrative burden. The amount of time doctors spend on documentation is significant and contributes to long hours beyond patient consultations. An AMA survey revealed that 48.2% of physicians experienced at least one symptom of burnout in 2023.

When scribes handle electronic health records (EHRs), doctors can significantly reduce the hours spent on paperwork, allowing them to reclaim time for rest or research. For health providers, happier and less stressed-out physicians mean higher levels of patient care. Reduced burnout also means that services can retain their skilled practitioners for longer, reducing recruitment and training costs.

Mentorship Opportunities

Medical scribes often aspire to be healthcare professionals themselves. Pre-med students and nursing school graduates often start as scribes and learn to work with doctors in professional settings.

For health services, medical scribes bring enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, support operational needs, and contribute to the talent pipeline. Doctors who engage in mentorship often enjoy higher job satisfaction as they have the chance to share their expertise and help shape the future of medicine.

Reduction In Medical Errors

By documenting every detail accurately, medical scribes reduce the risk of miscommunication or misunderstandings between healthcare providers. With a scribe capturing precise medical terminology, doctors’ instructions, and observations, there are fewer errors, especially in multi-provider cases or transitions between departments.

A 2022 comparative review, “Interfacing With the Electronic Health Record (EHR)” concluded, “When compared to controls in the various studies investigated, medical scribes and custom-built templates improved patient satisfaction, overall quality of the documentation, and overall efficiency in terms of patients seen per hour.”

The review noted that EHRs’ “unwieldy user interfaces” and the time they take out of physicians’ workdays mean that medical scribes can be valuable assets. Scribes can assist in maximising reimbursement, improve productivity, and enhance patient satisfaction.

The reduction in errors doesn’t have to mean longer appointments or fewer patients cared for. The authors of the “Medical Scribes, Provider and Patient Experience” study wrote that medical scribes allowed providers to support a higher number of patients.

More Informed Families

For patients who have family members involved in their care, scribes help make sure that all the information is accurately documented and make it easier for doctors to relay information to family members. The transparency can help families better understand the treatment plan and contribute to patient support and recovery. Families who feel involved in treatment and care feel calmer and more involved.

If a doctor has more accurate and complete notes, they can better explain diagnoses, treatments, or prognoses. This leads to greater trust in the care being provided. For patients with more complex medical issues, consistency in information is particularly important. Medical scribes can help ensure that all points are documented precisely so there’s less room for misunderstanding or discrepancies in information given at different times.

When families are listening to the physician, knowing that a scribe is documenting every detail allows them to focus on listening without the worry of taking notes or remembering every single word. This can reduce stress levels and make it easier to absorb information.