Clinician Perceptions of Virtual Scribe Use: A Survey Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Services Research
• Physician Wellbeing

Background:

• Virtual scribes are emerging as a solution to alleviate physician documentation burden.
• Enhancing the physician experience is a key goal of implementing these AI-powered tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of virtual scribe utilization on physician wellbeing.
• To identify physician-specific characteristics that correlate with positive outcomes from virtual scribe use.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional mixed-methods survey was administered to 113 physicians using virtual scribes.
• Quantitative analysis assessed wellbeing, satisfaction, and patient relationships against physician demographics and practice characteristics.
• Qualitative analysis of free-text comments explored user experiences and workflow impacts.

Main Results:

• 66% of physicians reported improved wellbeing, and 61% noted enhanced patient relationships with virtual scribe use.
• Non-primary care physicians and male physicians showed significantly higher odds of reporting improved satisfaction, wellbeing, and patient relationships.
• Qualitative themes highlighted issues related to scribe service, documentation accuracy, and workflow integration.

Conclusions:

• Virtual scribe use is associated with improved physician wellbeing and patient relationships.
• Non-primary care and male physicians appear to benefit more significantly from virtual scribe support.
• Further research is recommended to understand differential satisfaction across specialties.