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

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.