Maximizing Time with the Patient: the Creative Concept of a Physician Scribe

• Published in: Current oncology reports Vol. 17; no. 12; p. 59
• Main Author: Menon, Smitha P.
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Electronic Health Records; Humans; Medical Record Administrators; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oncology; Palliative Medicine (A Jatoi; Physician's Role; Physician-Patient Relations; Practice Management - organization & administration; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Palliative Medicine; Oncology; Electronic health records; Medical scribe
• ISSN: 1523-3790; 1534-6269
• DOI: 10.1007/s11912-015-0484-7

The universal implementation of electronic health records has transformed the practice of medicine. However, there is a general perception that electronic health records impede effective communication with patients. Clinicians feel that they paradoxically spend more time doing nonclinical tasks like documentation and writing orders and less time interacting with their patients. This article evaluates the role of medical scribes in augmenting physician workflows and examines if employing a scribe can enhance physician-patient interactions.