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Related Experiment Videos

Can scribes boost FPs' efficiency and job satisfaction?

Stephen T Earls1,2, Judith A Savageau1, Susan Begley2

  • 1Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

The Journal of Family Practice
|April 5, 2017
PubMed
Summary
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Implementing medical scribes in family medicine significantly boosts physician efficiency and job satisfaction. This pilot study shows reduced documentation time, increased productivity, and positive patient acceptance, proving cost-effective for practices.

Area of Science:

  • Primary Care Medicine
  • Health Services Research
  • Quality Improvement Studies

Background:

  • Medical scribes enhance physician experience and productivity in various specialties.
  • Limited research exists on scribe implementation within primary care settings.
  • Family medicine faces challenges with physician workload and documentation burden.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the feasibility and benefits of integrating medical scribes into an academic family medicine practice.
  • To evaluate the impact of scribes on physician productivity, work-life balance, and satisfaction.
  • To determine patient acceptance and satisfaction with physicians utilizing scribes.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot mixed-method quality improvement study incorporated 4 part-time scribes into a 7-physician academic family medicine practice.

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  • Data collection included physician surveys, time-tracking, and patient satisfaction questionnaires.
  • Measurements focused on physician office hours, documentation time, productivity metrics, work-life balance, and patient/physician satisfaction.

    • Main Results:

    • Physicians experienced a significant reduction in documentation time (average 5.1 hours/week) and increased productivity (9.2%-28.8%).
    • Annualized financial projections indicated a potential net gain of over $89,000 per year after scribe costs.
    • Physicians reported improved work-life balance, and patients expressed high comfort levels; physician satisfaction with scribe use was over 90%.

    Conclusions:

    • Medical scribes are a feasible and beneficial addition to outpatient family medicine clinics.
    • Scribe implementation substantially improves physician efficiency, job satisfaction, and practice productivity.
    • The use of scribes does not negatively impact the patient experience and offers a positive return on investment.