An Ethical Case for Medical Scribes
Department or Administrative Unit
Philosophy and Religious Studies
Document Type
Article
Author Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press
Publication Date
1-20-2022
Journal
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics
Abstract
This article addresses ethical concerns with the use of electronic health records (EHRs) by physicians in clinical practice. It presents arguments for two claims. First, requiring physicians to maintain patient EHRs for medically unnecessary tasks is likely contributing to increased burnout, decreased quality of care, and potential risks to patient safety. Second, medical institutions have ethical reasons to employ medical scribes to maintain patient EHRs. Finally, this article reviews central objections to employing medical scribes and provides responses to each.
Recommended Citation
Schwan, D. (2022). An Ethical Case for Medical Scribes. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 31(1), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0963180121000840
Comments
This article was originally published in Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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