A virtual medical scribe accompanies a provider during patient visits from a remote offsite location. The virtual scribe views the visit through a computer screen or listens to the visit over the phone. They provide their services in real-time i.e., during the provider-patient encounters. They complete the task by making records of the patient visit i.e., medical documentation in the form of EHRs, clinical charts, etc. Virtual scribing has become more popular in recent times after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disadvantages of virtual scribing, though considerably less, cannot be brushed aside

• The supply of virtual scribes is more than the demand since along with medical scribes who train for this job, medical students too, get into this industry wanting to give it a go since it gives them on-site experience. This results in a heavy flow of employees into the industry but people who hang on to the job are very less.
• Cost incurred to train prospective employees is high since new personnel have to be hired and trained often.
• Frequent changes in the employee who works for a doctor disrupt the workflow until the new personnel can adapt to the doctor's needs and style of working.
• The absence of uniformity in the scribe training methods globally results in different quality levels and does not give the clients a standard idea of the quality level to be expected.
• Employees who can provide high-quality work are less in the industry that provides a high level of employment
• Risk of patient privacy and security breaches always exist in the virtual scribe industry.