Main image courtesy of LinkedIn.

Lots of practitioners in a variety of medical fields take advantage of medical scribes to help them more efficiently document patient encounters, so they can provide top notch attention and care. But have you ever wondered:

• What’s it like being a medical scribe?
• What exactly does a neurosurgery scribe do?
• The pros and cons of human and AI medical scribes

Did you know that in addition to human medical scribes, there is a growing number of AI medical scribes that are showing up in all kinds of healthcare fields, including neurosurgery. This specialized field helps patients with injuries or disorders related to the brain, spinal cord, spinal column, and any associated nerves in the body. Not only do they work as surgeons, but also treat patients with non-operative treatments such as medications and rehab. As providers, it means they are responsible for ensuring patient data is up to date and accurate, and they may take advantage of using a scribe. 

Is it worth it to be a medical scribe?

What are some of the major responsibilities of a medical scribe?

Medical scribes are an important part of a lot of healthcare facilities, from emergency rooms to clinics, scribes help patient data stay organized and allow the provider to focus on the patient. There are lots of companies out there that provide training to be a medical scribe, but there are no formal requirements or certifications you need (although you can get those) necessary to be successful as a scribe. Depending on the healthcare field they’re working in, scribes can do a lot during their shift, including:

• Documenting patient data. One of the primary jobs of the medical scribe is to follow the provider (or be available virtually) into the patient exam. From here they’re responsible for inputting the necessary patient information, ensuring the medical documentation is up to date, and all findings are noted. The scribe will transcribe this information in real time in a note format so that it can be added to the patient's EHR. 

Having a scribe assist in this way allows the clinician to spend their time listening to and interacting with the patient. It permits them to focus their full attention on the patient since they are not the one transcribing the information into the note.

• Assisting with patient care. Scribes can assist physicians during the exam if necessary by answering any questions related to the patient’s EHR, the medication that has been prescribed, or whether or not the medical and family histories include all the relevant information. 

• Diagnostic tests. Providers may ask scribes to check to see if the results of any diagnostic tests are available, or they can put in an order for more tests when the provider prescribes it. They can document the findings of any physical exams, and transcribe the results of any tests done during the examination.

• Other clerical duties. You’ll also find that scribes may be asked to do other clerical duties, such as updates to EHRs, adding additional provider notes to the record, answer phones, and review medical records for accuracy.  

Scribes will typically be assigned to follow one provider for their shift, but this depends on the facility and availability of scribes. A lot of people find it worth it to be a medical scribe, especially those that are interested in a career in healthcare. Being a scribe is a great way to get a close look at how clinicians care for their patients. This is why you’ll find a lot of scribes are students studying healthcare majors, are interested in being physician/nursing assistants, or want to pursue another healthcare related career.

There are however other folks who just have an interest in the medical field, are excellent typists, and have the necessary clerical skills to make a career out of being a medical scribe. 

Why do neurosurgeons have scribes? 

Neurosurgeons, like other healthcare specialists, can definitely benefit from both AI and human scribes. When they’re in an encounter with a patient, a scribe can ensure all the medication information is taken down correctly and added to the note. The neurosurgeon may ask the scribe to pull up the recent charts or diagnostic tests so that they can review them with the patient. 
Another reason a neurosurgeon may use a scribe is in the surgical theater in order to document all the procedures that took place, the results of the procedures, and after it is complete, to create the surgical report for their review. 

There are a lot of places that a scribe can assist a neurosurgeon—they can ensure the clerical work is done (or in the case of an AI scribe, provide a transcription) so that the provider can spend their time focusing on the patient.

• What can a neurologist do vs a neurosurgeon? A neurologist is a medical doctor that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries or disorders of the brain and nervous system. They use non-surgical diagnostic methods and tests to help identify problems and propose treatment plans.

A neurosurgeon is also a medical doctor that is trained to use both non-surgical and surgical methods to help with conditions and injuries involving the brain and nervous system.

Do doctors like their scribes? 

This greatly depends on the level of competency of the scribe and the type of functions they’re required to do. Some specialties appreciate using scribes because it can save them a significant amount of time when it comes to documenting notes and updating the EHR. It’s also helpful to have another set of eyes reviewing the medical records and charts of the patient to ensure everything is accurate.

Doctors also like that scribes allow them to focus on their patients during the encounter more, since they are not tied to a screen typing notes as the conversation progresses. At the end of the day, this increases patient satisfaction with their providers because they feel that they’re being listened to—and the clinician can be fully present with them. In addition, having a scribe to help with notes and clerical tasks can reduce provider burnout. Without a scribe, a provider has to see patients and ensure the medical documentation is up to date and accurate. This can either be done during the visit, or at the end of the day, adding on more hours. With a scribe, a provider may find they have more time to spend with patients or to take much needed breaks.

However, some doctors find scribes to be not as helpful as you might think, considering how long it takes to train them. There is usually a large learning curve, and getting a new scribe up to pace can take months. There’s also the problem of high turnover, since a lot of scribes are waiting to get into medical or nursing school, or are not interested in staying long term. The scribe who isn’t well-trained can end up making more work for clinicians, since they have to go back and correct mistakes or spend extra time closely reviewing notes and records.

Do medical schools like scribes? 

A lot of students who are interested in attending medical school tend to go into scribing. It is a great way to get hands-on experience with patients and see how clinicians go about their day. Having this type of clinical experience looks good on a medical school application, plus you will get paid for your time as a scribe. Not to mention you’ll quickly learn how to create notes and get a better feel for how healthcare facilities function. 

While being a scribe doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into a medical school, it is a great addition to your resume and will show that you’ve sought out and gained clinical experience. 

Is a medical scribe a stressful job?

This depends on where the medical scribe is—the ER is a lot more stressful than a family practice clinic. A lot of medical scribes would consider their jobs to be stressful at times since you’re dealing with sensitive patient information, and you want to make sure you’re entering the correct information into the record or chart. Their job deals with a patient’s health, so it’s essential that scribes are detail-oriented and are always looking for inconsistencies or inaccuracies so they can point them out to the clinician. 

Another option for a medical scribe: AI 

Use an ambient medical scribe instead of a human medical scribe

In addition to human scribes, AI medical scribes are also an option for clinicians in all kinds of healthcare fields, from psychiatry to neurosurgery. AI scribes are applications that use natural language processing and advanced algorithms to transcribe the conversation between patient and clinician. You can download it to a smartphone or tablet, and it can easily be synced with an EHR management system. 

A lot of providers are turning to AI scribes because not only are they easy to use, but they’re saving them a lot of time in the process. Because the AI scribe is transcribing the conversation in real time, the clinician can put all of their focus on the patient, and won’t have to worry about missing important information or being distracted by typing and listening at the same time. AI scribes can put the encounter summary into a note form that includes all the necessary documentation that a human scribe would update (such as patient data, history of present illness, family history, etc.) with a high degree of accuracy. 

From there the provider just needs to review the information, and approve it so it can be added to the EHR. 

Pros and cons of AI and human scribes

There are benefits to both human and AI scribes (especially as a neurosurgery scribe), so before you decide which one is best for your practice, consider the pros and cons of both.

AI scribes

Pros

• AI scribes are more accurate than their human counterparts, and thanks to natural language processing, can transcribe conversations with ease. 
• They can also transcribe notes quicker than a human medical scribe, including information as it is spoken in real time. 
• AI scribes are typically subscription based, but it is still much less expensive than hiring, training, and paying the salary of a medical scribe. 
• Ambient scribes improve the patient experience because it allows the clinician to focus on the patient.
• Reduces provider burnout because they are not staying extra hours to complete their charts.

Cons

• AI notes require review before they are approved.
• Ambient scribes cannot read non-verbal cues.

Human medical scribes

Pros

• A human scribe is well-trained to pick up inaccuracies in notes and documentation to help prevent errors.
• Scribes can help patients feel more at ease and can pick up on non-verbal cues.
• Human medical scribes reduce the amount of clerical work for the provider, decreasing their chance of burnout. 

Cons

• Scribes require training, supervision, and a salary to complete their tasks, which can add up quickly for healthcare facilities.
• Not all scribes are well-trained and competent enough to assist providers at the level they need.
• The chances for error in data or charts are higher with human scribes. 

Is an AI neurosurgery scribe right for your facility?

If you think an AI medical scribe would be a better fit for your healthcare practice, consider looking into the HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant ambient scribe Playback Health. You’ll be able to automate your notes, streamline your patient journeys, and easily share information between team members. Start saving time and money with an AI scribe that can help reduce provider burnout!