Impact of Medical Scribes on Provider Efficiency in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Objectives Today's emergency department (ED) providers spend a significant amount of time on medical record documentation, decreasing clinical productivity. One proposed solution is to utilize medical scribes who assist with documentation. We hypothesized that scribes would increase provider productivity and increase provider satisfaction without affecting patient experience or nursing satisfaction. Methods We conducted an observational pre-post study comparing ED prescribe and postscribe clinical productivity metrics for 18 pediatric emergency medicine physicians, two general pediatricians, and two nurse practitioners working in the 12-bed nonurgent area of the pediatric ED. Productivity metrics included patients per hour (pts/hr), work relative value units per hour (wRVUs/hr), and visit duration measured for 1 year pre- and postscribe implementation. Cross-sectional satisfaction surveys were administered to patient families, providers, and nurses during the initial scribe rollout. Results Overall, 24,518 prescribe and 27,062 postscribe visits were analyzed. Following scribe implementation, overall provider efficiency increased by 0.24 pts/hr (11.98%, p < 0.001) and 0.72 wRVUs/hr (20.14%, p < 0.001). The largest efficiency increase (0.36 pts/hr, 0.96 wRVUs/hr) occurred in January-March, when ED census peaked. Patient visit duration was 53 minutes in both the prescribe and the postscribe periods. During initial scribe implementation, 80% of parents of patients without a scribe rated the visit as very good/great compared to 84% with a scribe (p = 0.218). Of the 34 providers surveyed, 88% preferred working with a scribe. A majority of providers (82%) felt that their skills were used more effectively when working with a scribe, decreasing their likelihood of experiencing burnout. Of the 43 nurses surveyed, 51% preferred scribes and 47% were indifferent. Conclusions Medical scribes increased ED efficiency without decreasing patient satisfaction. Providers strongly favored the use of scribes, while nurses were indifferent. The next steps include a cost analysis of the scribe program.