Virtual Scribes And Their Impact On Physician EHR Time

Physician burnout is a complex issue, with many factors at play. However, the regulatory and clerical workload associated with EHRs makes everyone’s list. Yes, the electronic health record is the tipping point. The increasing amount of time spent on EHRs is recognized as a major contributor to burnout and a barrier to patient care. According to a study, physicians dedicate almost half of their workday (49.2%) to EHRs and desk work and only 27% of their time on clinical face time with patients. That’s just too much! It is here the virtual scribes come in. Virtual scribes are one proposed way to reduce the burden associated with EHR-related tasks and improve physicians’ experiences in providing patient-centered care. Let us, in this blog post, explore how virtual scribes can reduce physicians’ time spent on the EHR and alleviate the associated burden.

Beast Of Burden: EHR Tasks Consume Much Time

Physician burnout has been a long-standing issue. Increasing evidence suggests that the time spent in the electronic health records system is a major source of stress and dissatisfaction for physicians. According to Medscape Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2024 bureaucratic tasks such as paperwork and charting topped the list of burnout causes, as it does every year. Yet another study suggests that documentation workload might be adding to physician burnout. For every hour physicians spend directly interacting with patients, they devote nearly two additional hours to electronic health records and other clerical tasks, during the clinic day. Moreover, outside of regular office hours, physicians spend another 1 to 2 hours of personal time each night just to catch up with the day’s charting. The use of virtual scribes can be beneficial in alleviating physician burnout by reducing documentation burdens and allowing more time for patient care.

Virtual Scribes Alleviate EHR Burden And Burnout

The use of virtual scribes has proven effective in reducing burnout and time spent on electronic health records among primary care physicians. A study found that implementation of a remote scribe program in a primary care academic setting was associated with significant improvements in physician wellness and reductions in EHR use. Physicians who used remote scribes experienced a reduction in EHR time by approximately 1.14 hours per eight-hour patient schedule. This EHR time reduction came from reduced time spent on patient notes. Additionally, physicians working with scribes reported a decrease in burnout from 70.3% to 51.4%. In contrast, the control group of physicians not using scribes experienced an increase in burnout feelings from 50% to 60.3%. The study concluded that integration of a remote scribe program into a primary care academic setting led to significant improvements in physician wellness and decreased usage of EHRs.

Virtual Scribes Reduce Physicians’ Time Spent On EHRs

Virtual scribes can significantly reduce the time physicians spend on electronic health records. Scribes handle the documentation tasks in real-time during patient visits, allowing physicians to focus more on patient care rather than data entry. A study led by Lisa Rotenstein, MD, of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, examined how using virtual scribes affects physicians' electronic health record usage patterns, and what factors influence changes in physicians' EHR time when they use a virtual scribe. The results were promising. Virtual scribes significantly reduced the time physicians spent on EHRs, note-taking, and after-hours charting. Those physicians practicing within a medical specialty, having higher initial EHR time, and contributing less to note writing experienced significant reductions in total EHR use time after integrating scribes into their workflow. This decrease in EHR time, note-taking, and 'pajama time' per visit was observed in both primary care physicians and medical specialists.

Conclusion

In summary, the evidence is clear. Virtual scribes free up physicians’ time spent on EHRs. They offer a practical and effective solution to ease the EHR documentation burden that contributes to physician burnout. To bring these benefits to your practice and promote physician well-being, consider hiring Physician Angels virtual scribes today. We have a team of highly skilled and certified virtual scribes who can provide accurate, real-time documentation of patient visits. Sounds impressive? Give us a call at (419)318-4471 to learn how our virtual scribes can alleviate the ‘time burden’ of EHRs and allow you to focus on providing exceptional patient care!