Face-to-Face Time and Other Cycle Components Before (August-September 2016) and After (March-April 2017) Implementing Scribes in Primary Care*
| Pre-scribe n = 92 Minutes:second (SD) | Post-scribe n = 29 Minutes:second (SD) | P value t test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-visit | 2:09 (1:55) | 2:33 (2:36) | .44 |
| Visit | 17:40 (6:44) | 19:46 (6:39) | .15 |
| Computer | 9:27 ( 4:16) | 6:53 (2:51) | <.001 |
| Face-to-face | 8:13 (4:41) | 12:53 (5:28) | <.001 |
| Proportion of visit time spent face to face | 0.46 (0.16) | 0.64 (0.12) | <.001 |
| Post-visit | 5:27 (3:54) | 4:53 (2:49) | .47 |
| Total provider cycle time | 25:16 (8:42) | 27:12 (9:20) | .31 |
↵* Other cycle complements include pre-visit, visit, computer, and post-visit time.
Pre-visit time = time spent reviewing the chart prior to entering the exam room; visit time = time the provider spent in the clinical exam room; face-to-face time = time the physician spent interacting with the patient or family member, without using or looking at the computer; computer time = difference between face-to-face time and visit time; post-visit time = time spent in the chart after leaving the exam room until the chart was closed; total provider cycle = sum of pre-visit, visit and post-visit time.
SD, standard deviation.