Medical scribe

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Medical scribe is a professional who assists healthcare providers by documenting patient encounters in real time. They are often employed in emergency departments, clinics, and physician offices.

Role and Responsibilities[edit | edit source]

A medical scribe's primary role is to accompany a healthcare provider during patient encounters and document the details of these encounters in the patient's electronic health record (EHR). This allows the provider to focus more on the patient and less on data entry.

Medical scribes may also assist with other administrative tasks, such as retrieving lab results, coordinating with other healthcare professionals, and managing patient flow.

Training and Certification[edit | edit source]

Medical scribes typically have a background in healthcare or science, and many are pre-medical students. They receive on-the-job training, which includes learning medical terminology, EHR software, and the specifics of documenting patient encounters.

There are also certification programs available for medical scribes, such as the Certified Medical Scribe Professional (CMSP) credential offered by the American College of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS).

Benefits[edit | edit source]

The use of medical scribes can have several benefits for healthcare providers and patients. For providers, it can reduce the burden of data entry and allow them to spend more time with patients. For patients, it can lead to more face-to-face time with their provider and potentially improve the quality of care.

Challenges[edit | edit source]

Despite the potential benefits, there are also challenges associated with the use of medical scribes. These include the cost of hiring and training scribes, potential issues with documentation quality, and concerns about patient privacy.

See Also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


Medical scribe Resources
Doctor showing form.jpg
Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD