There's not much room in patient care for paperwork—but that doesn't take away the mounting surplus of charts.

Almost since the dawn of healthcare (I'm talking Ancient Mesopotamia,) medical scribes have been the unsung heroes of clinical documentation.

But there's no perfect system. Along the way we've seen the rise of the (electronic health record) EHR and electronic medical record (EMR). Inevitably, that means more admin work.

Make no mistake: The medical field is evolving. With it, we're seeing a shift in AI technologies that can make medical scribing more accessible than ever.

What is a medical scribe?

A medical scribe is like a physician's assistant. They support medical staff before, during, and after a patient visit by:

• Taking notes for the patient's chart
• Updating the EHR and sending patient instructions
• Handling other administrative tasks

While this type of support is as old as the medical field, the first official medical scribe company came to the states in 1994— which is farther back than I care to admit.

The need for medical scribes skyrocketed in the early 2010s with some long overdue legislation.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act codified the EHR. And to no ones surprise, the demand for data entry support skyrocketed. In 2016, there were 20,000 working medical scribes. By 2020, that number had quintupled into 100,000.

Benefits of medical scribes

The electronic health record is supposed to streamline healthcare. And in many ways it does—at the cost of admin labor.

Medical scribes became a lifeline in more ways than one.

1. Saving clinicians time  

I mean this on and off the clock.

Studies show that 77% of healthcare professionals take their charts home.  

That's because there actually isn't time in their daily workload for documentation. The role of "doctor" simply wasn't designed with much room to play with.

This is where clinical scribes can really shine.

2. A smoother workflow

Now the clinician has one less plate to juggle. Sure, it's out of a thousand, but we'll take it.

Clinical scribes often sit in on patient encounters, so they can take accurate notes in real time.

3. Easing the burnout epidemic

Documentation fatigue isn't something we've made up— it's a statistical reality.

Luckily, studies also show that medical scribes have a real positive impact. In a randomized study on their impact, researchers found that an increase in all aspects of job satisfaction.

The evolution of medical scribes

Medical scribing is like the little engine that could. What started as a simple idea—having someone handle documentation so doctors could focus on patients—has grown into a critical role.

In the last twenty years, we've really seen this intersect with changing tech, with:

• The era of in-person scribes
• The shift to virtual scribes
• The introduction of AI scribes

The era of in-person scribes

The original scribes were right there in the room with you, listening carefully, taking notes, and plugging away at the patient's chart.

Clinical scribes were necessary, but not exactly seamless.

For starters, medical scribe support usually comes in the form of pre-med students; they're not exactly brimming with time.

And otherwise, the cost of hiring and training a scribe as part of the medical staff is costly and mostly unrealistic.

Still, in-person scribes set the stage for what came next a smarter, more flexible approach to clinical documentation.

The shift to virtual scribes

Virtual scribes were the perfect response to in-person limitations.

As the generation that lived through a pandemic, we're no strangers to a remote world.

This medical scribe position can watch a patient encounter in real time or watch a recording after the fact.

This shift solved a lot of problems. Patients felt more comfortable without an extra person in the room, and practices benefited from lower costs and greater flexibility. Virtual scribes could handle a variety of tasks, from updating patient records to assisting with billing, all while giving doctors back their time.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. High turnover rates and inconsistent training sometimes created hiccups. Even so, virtual scribes became a lifeline for many clinicians, helping to bridge the gap between patient care and admin demands.

The introduction of AI scribes

Now, we’re seeing the next big leap: AI-powered solutions that can write note for you.

AI scribes (or "digital scribing") listen to patient visits in real-time, analyze conversations, and  generate EHR-ready notes.

We're seeing real promise: The Permanente Medical Group implemented a regional pilot program. They found that the clinicians who used digital scribing spent less time on the EHR outside of work hours, and less time on notes during appointments.

Another study saw AI save physicians one hour a day behind a computer.

That said, no system is perfect. AI scribes work best when we partner with them. Clinicians should always review their notes, and take advantage of prompts that let them train the tools to work for them.

For many, the benefits—like eliminating after-hours charting and reducing burnout—far outweigh the learning curve.

Medical scribes: The journey ahead

From shadowing doctors in exam rooms to working remotely and now leveraging AI, the evolution of medical scribes has been about one thing: making life easier for clinicians and improving the patient experience.

Looking ahead, the future of scribing will likely blend the best of both worlds—AI for speed and efficiency, with human expertise filling in the gaps.

What’s clear is that scribes, in all their forms, will continue to play a vital role in healthcare.

Freed is an AI scribe that writes clinical notes in real time. Sign up today to get started—no credit card required.