Clinical scribes and their association with patient experience in the otolaryngology clinic

Electronic health records have brought many advantages but also placed a documentation burden on the provider during and after the clinic visit. Some otolaryngologists have countered this challenge by employing clinical scribes. This project aimed to better understand the influence of scribes on patient experience in the otolaryngology clinic.

Retrospective cohort survey study.

Patients presenting to the otolaryngology clinic for new and follow-up appointments were recruited to complete surveys about their experience.

A total of 153 patients completed the survey, and 96 of those patients (62.7%) interacted with a scribe. Patient satisfaction was not significantly associated with participation of the scribe (P = .668). Similarly, patient rating of their physician on a scale of 1 to 10 was not associated with scribe involvement (P = .851). The patients who did interact with a scribe responded that the scribe positively impacted the visit 77.1% of the time. Participation of a resident, primary language other than English, and use of interpreter were associated with lower satisfaction (P = .004, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively).

There are no published data on the effect of scribes on patient experience in the otolaryngology clinic. In other specialties, scribes have been demonstrated as having a positive effect on provider satisfaction, clinical productivity, and patient perception. These data demonstrate that patient satisfaction was neither impaired nor improved by the presence of the scribe in this clinic. In light of benefits demonstrated by prior studies, these findings support the conclusion that scribes are a useful adjunct in providing high-level otolaryngology care.

4 Laryngoscope, 130:E134-E139, 2020.