When scribes draft documents, physicians happier with chart quality and accuracy, time with patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Working with a scribe significantly improves physicians’ overall satisfaction, satisfaction with chart quality and accuracy, and charting efficiency, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the Annals of Family Medicine.
Risha Gidwani, Dr.P.H., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues randomized physicians in an academic family medicine clinic to one week with a scribe and then one week without a scribe for the course of one year. Scribes drafted all relevant documentation, which was reviewed by a physician before attestation and signing. Physicians performed all charting duties when working without a scribe.
The researchers found that scribes significantly improved all aspects of physician satisfaction, including overall satisfaction with the clinic (odds ratio [OR], 10.75), having enough face time with patients (OR, 3.71), time spent charting (OR, 86.09), chart quality (OR, 7.25), and chart accuracy (OR, 4.61). Scribes did not affect patient satisfaction. They increased the proportion of charts closed within 48 hours (OR, 1.18; P = 0.028).
“Scribes appear to be a promising strategy to improve health care efficiency and reduce physician burnout,” conclude the authors.
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