Assessing Human vs. AI Options in Medical Documentation & Which Solutions Are Most Promising
Published May 2025
What the evidence says about human scribes, what AI changes, and why the most promising path pairs the two.
About the author
Joshua Hurwitz, MD
Scribe-X Cofounder · President, Emergency Medicine Associates
Dr. Hurwitz is a Scribe-X cofounder. He graduated from Oregon Health and Science University medical school in 2008 and is a board-certified emergency medicine physician practicing in Vancouver, Washington. He is president of Emergency Medicine Associates, a professional emergency physician staffing company, and serves as medical director for See You at the Summit, a nonprofit organization serving adolescents battling cancer.
Introduction
The role of medical scribes has evolved significantly over the past 30 years, transitioning from traditional documentation assistants to pivotal contributors in modern healthcare. Initially, scribes were primarily used to alleviate the administrative burden on physicians, allowing them to focus more on patient care. Over the years, the integration of advanced technologies has revolutionized their role, with artificial intelligence now playing a crucial part in medical documentation. This paper explores the history and role of medical scribes, the benefits they bring to medical practice, and the transformative impact of AI on medical documentation.
History of medical scribes
Medical scribes have been a part of the healthcare system for decades, with their roles and responsibilities evolving in response to the increasing demands of medical documentation. In the early 1990s, scribes were employed primarily in emergency departments to assist with the burgeoning paperwork associated with patient care. Over the next two decades, their use expanded to various medical specialties, driven by the introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) and the growing administrative workload on healthcare providers (Tierney et al., 2024). The role of scribes continued to adapt, integrating more technology and taking on complex tasks to support physicians better and improve workflow efficiency.