To Free Doctors From Computers, Far-Flung Scribes Are Now Taking Notes for Them

The burden of electronic record keeping is taking a toll on doctors and patient care but distant helpers may change that

Doctors are bringing another presence in the exam room—scribes in sometimes distant lands who take notes so doctors can focus on their patients. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

Podiatrist Dr. Mark Lewis greets his first patient of the morning in his suburban Seattle exam room and points to a tiny video camera mounted on the right rim of his glasses. “This is my scribe, Jacqueline,” he says. “She can see us and hear us.”