Wingmen in Abbott Northwestern Hospital's ED: Medical scribes have found a niche

[Minnesota Medicine, January 01, 0001] Christopher Obetz pulls back the curtain and steps into exam room 11 in Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s emergency department. Inside, a young woman lies on the bed fully clothed; the clear plastic brace encircling her neck is the only obvious indicator that something is wrong. Her chart says she has had a seizure and hit her head.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Obetz, one of the emergency physicians here. I’ll be helping you. And this is Ann, my scribe. What brings you to the emergency room today?”

The woman explains that the last thing she remembers was being on the phone.