Dermatology Scribes: Boosting Both Physician And Patient Satisfaction

Dermatology has seen a rise in physician burnout in recent years, exacerbated in part by the increasing demands of EHRs. While the benefits of EHRs in managing patient information are undeniable, the increased documentation burden can stress out physicians and contribute to burnout. No wonder, academic dermatologists, facing these challenges, are increasingly turning to dermatology scribes to reduce burnout and enhance patient care. This blog post delves into a pilot study that evaluated the impact of scribes on physician and patient satisfaction in an academic dermatology clinic.

Addressing Physician Burnout And EHR Challenges

Studies have consistently demonstrated that the time, cognitive burden, and stress associated with using EHRs can contribute to physician burnout. EHRs that demand a substantial amount of time for clerical-type data entry have become a major source of what is now called “technostress” that reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery. Using dermatology scribes has shown promising results in reducing these burdens. By offloading EHR documentation tasks to scribes, dermatologists can focus more on patient interaction and clinical decision-making, potentially enhancing both provider and patient satisfaction in dermatological care.

Study On The Impact Of Scribes In Dermatology Clinics – Key Findings

A prospective, pre-post-pilot intervention study was conducted in an academic dermatology and Mohs surgery setting to assess the impact of scribes. The study involved clinic sessions both with and without scribe support to evaluate the following key metrics - physician satisfaction and burnout, time spent on EHR tasks and patient satisfaction. The findings from the pilot study were noteworthy.

Physician Satisfaction And Burnout: Interestingly, physician burnout was low at baseline and remained unchanged after the pilot program. While this finding shows that burnout levels did not decrease, it also indicates that the existing burnout levels were not exacerbated and maintained physician satisfaction rates despite the demanding clinical environment.

Time Spent On EHRs: When scribes helped with documentation, the time spent on documentation per patient dropped by 67%. This allowed physicians to spend more quality time with patients, facilitating enhanced care. As a result, the number of patients seen in each clinic session went up by 28%, highlighting that scribes have the potential to enhance clinical productivity.

Patient Comfort and Satisfaction: Patient feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with over 88% of respondents feeling comfortable sharing personal information with scribes present during consultations. This high level of patient comfort indicates that the presence of scribes does not detract from patient satisfaction.

All the 6 physicians who participated in the study unanimously agreed that scribe support was invaluable in alleviating documentation burdens.

Conclusion

Adding scribes to an academic dermatology and Mohs surgery setting greatly improved physician satisfaction and clinical efficiency without impacting patient satisfaction. This pilot study showed that using scribes improved physician satisfaction by reducing their time spent on EHRs. Scribes significantly reduced ‘active documentation time’ by more than half, allowing physicians to attend to more patients per half day. This improvement was accomplished while maintaining high levels of patient satisfaction and acceptance of scribe involvement in their care.

If you are considering integrating scribes into your dermatology practice, get in touch with Physicians Angels today. Our dermatology scribes are specially trained in the medical terminology, EHR systems and documentation practices specific to dermatology clinics, ensuring accurate and detailed documentation of patient visits. Hire a dermatology scribe today. Focus on treating your patients and making their skin healthy! Leave documentation in the hands of the experts!