Electronic Medical Records - Why Scribes Can Help

Posted by Allison Dewan on Mon, Oct 20, 2014 @ 10:04 AM

Use of electronic medical record systems is associated with considerable loss of free time per clinic day, according to a research letter published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

This does not make EMR look like a good data managment method to adopt.

But, EMRs are the way of the future, and can be very beneficial...with the help of a medical scribe. 

Doctors should treat patients; they shouldn't be typing all day and trying to use new technology. 

Clement J. McDonald, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues surveyed the American College of Physicians' national sample of internists to examine the extent of EMR-associated time loss. Data were obtained from 411 respondents (mainly attending physicians).

"The loss of free time that our respondents reported was large and pervasive and could decrease access or increase costs of care," the authors write.

 


Topics: EMRs, Scribe