Medical scribes are increasingly being utilized to reduce the time burden on clinicians for electronic health record (EHR) documentation. In this secondary analysis, researchers identified three themes for safe use of medical scribes: communication aspects, teamwork efforts, and provider characteristics.

The use of medical scribes for electronic health record (EHR) documentation is one strategy to shift the burden of documentation away from clinicians. Using interviews and direct observations, the authors explored the effects of scribes on patient safety. Participants did not perceive significant patient safety risks with scribes and highlighted the positive effects scribes have on documentation efficiency, quality, and safety.

The use of scribes, nonclinical staff who aid clinicians by entering information into electronic health records (EHRs), has increased markedly in the past few years. This qualitative study used interviews with clinicians, administrators, and scribes to develop a sociotechnical framework for the role of scribes with relation to the EHR. A prior commentary suggested that scribes represent a workaround that may inhibit the development of more advanced and user-friendly EHRs.