Clinical Research And EvidenceEvidence Item

AI scribes, efficiency gains but unclear burnout impact

April 3, 2026Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, FASCO, C. Michael Gibson MD

Harold Burstein argues AI scribes may yield only small efficiency improvements and are unlikely to solve primary care burnout, while C. Michael Gibson cites multi-center data showing reduced EHR and documentation time and slightly higher visit volume.

My takeaway is that outsourcing notation to AI scribes may yield small improvements in efficiency for tech-savvy MDs but seems unlikely to reduce physician burn-out in primary care, which is the problem that needs solving.
AI scribe adoption across 5 academic centers reduced EHR and documentation time, plus a slight increase in weekly visit volume, especially for primary care and female clinicians.
Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, FASCO
C. Michael Gibson MD
AI scribesEHRburnout

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