LAUSR

Electronic medical records have made great advances in the provision of quality healthcare but have increased physician workload and often limit face-to-face time with patients. These effects are particularly felt in the academic dermatology clinic, a critical time of practice development. Time constraints from implementation of EMRs have resulted in low patient volume and reduced educational opportunities. A review of the literature suggests that utilizing scribes as physician aides in the academic dermatology setting may increase patient access, clinic volume, educational experience, and hospital revenue. Since the advent of electronic medical records (EMR) in 1972, physicians' clinical responsibilities have morphed tremendously. As documentation requirements continue to mount, physicians are forced to spend less time with patients and more time navigating EMR systems. A recent study found that 50-67% of physician time is spent navigating EMR tasks, with the small remainder spent face-to-face with patients1. While EMRs provide many advantages for patient safety, continuity of care, risk mitigation and other aspects of clinical medicine, it also creates many potential obstacles in the provision of patient-centered care. One particular environment that highlights this dichotomy is within the academic dermatology training environment. Notably, the monotony and redundancy of navigating the EMR limits patient volume capacity, thereby reducing residents' exposures to pathology, medical decision making and attending-directed teaching opportunities.