Medical Scribes
Waitemata DHB and the National Institute for Health Innovation (NIHI)
A scribe is a medical transcriptionist, hired to accompany a physician into the consultation room to transcribe all details of the patient visit into the electronic medical record in real-time, as dictated by the physician, usually via a laptop computer or tablet.
The scribe acts as the physician's personal clerical assistant, making calls, bringing up pertinent medical history, lab and radiology results ready for the physician to review, generating referrals and e-prescriptions, acting as a chaperone for physical examinations, and assisting with discharges.