A study shows that pairing primary care physicians with scribes can significantly improve physician wellbeing and decrease burnout rates, according to a Feb. 16 report from the American Medical Association.
In the AMA-funded study of nearly 200 primary care providers, scribes were linked to a 26.8 percent decrease in burnout.
Before being assigned a scribe, 70.3 percent of surveyed physicians reported burnout; however, that number dropped to 51.4 percent when they received a scribe. For physicians who did not receive a scribe, burnout elevated throughout the course of the study published in Healthcare.
Physicians with scribes also reported a more joyful workplace, a more supportive work environment and less EHR stress.