2018-03-26

Can Medical Scribes Ease Clinical Information System Adoption?

The start of full Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) implementation is no longer a distant prospect.... and it is no surprise that clinicians easily imagine one or more colleagues for whom the prospect of a paper-free workplace seems incompatible with work. Slick order-entry tools may ease the way for some. But there remains a generation for whom keyboards and pointers present an insurmountable barrier to meaningful clinical documentation. Voice recognition and transcription may help. Increasingly, however, medical scribes are promoted not only to smooth the way for the digitally challenged, but generally to improve satisfaction for both clinicians and patients.

A medical scribe is a non-licensed individual specializing in electronic charting under the direction of of licensed clinicians in real time, usually in busy settings like emergency rooms. Scribes can facilitate a wide range of data and order-entry tasks, including chart abstractions. A recent Journal of Family Medicine article describes positive scribe experiences in primary care. A recent Canadian Medical Protective Association article cautions about the accountabilities that clinicians and institutions bear when scribes are employed.

Should Connect Care support workflows for medical scribes? Share what you think by using the linked poll (AHS stakeholders only).