Effects of medical scribes on physician productivity in a Canadian emergency department: a pilot study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Emergency department efficiency is a priority across Canada. In the United States, scribes may increase the number of patients seen per hour per physician; however, Canadian data are lacking. We sought to implement scribes in a Canadian emergency department with the hypothesis that scribes would increase the number of patients seen per hour per physician.

Methods

We conducted a 4-month quality improvement pilot study in a community emergency department in Ottawa, Ontario. Data collection began January 2015 after scribe training. Physicians received shifts with and without a scribe for a period of 4 months. Across the study, the mean number of patients seen per hour was determined for each physician during shifts with and without a scribe. We compared mean (± stand

SUBMITTER: Graves PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6182119 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature