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Hire a Scribe

By Dori Cage, MD

  1. Interrupt less

After making a conscious effort to interrupt less and listen to the patient’s story, I was pleasantly surprised how often the patient would succinctly provide relevant information and often answer questions that I had not thought to ask. It is during the period when patients seem to ramble that I learn about visits to multiple other hand surgeons, history of substance abuse, multiple car accidents or work injuries.

 Sometimes the best thing I can do during the history is nod and listen, only gently guiding the conversation. The patient’s minimally directed history can be a very helpful tool for deciding if surgical treatment is appropriate.

2. Use a scribe

There are several advantages to using a scribe:

 We hire premed and pre-PA students who are bright and eager to work. It is a useful reminder of how lucky we are when working with someone whose life goal is to have your job.

When a scribe is present, I can talk with a patient without a computer screen between us. My focus can be on the patient and not the medical record.

 It can be a useful learning tool to review what the scribe thought were the key points of the visit.

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