Study: Scribes Enhance Physician Satisfaction, Reduce Documentation Time, and Improve Patient Visits

​Medical scribes can reduce the documentation burden on physicians and enable them to focus more closely on patient encounters—two elements that are critical to improving physician satisfaction, according to a study published in the September/October 2017 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. Using scribes improved all measures of physician satisfaction studied, including overall satisfaction with the clinic, having enough face time with patients, time spent charting, chart quality, and chart accuracy. One physician said that using a scribe allowed him to spend more time interacting with patients and discussing diagnostic and treatment options with them to encourage shared decision-making.