Many physicians report spending over an hour daily on charting, often completing this work after hours. Others dedicate an entire day each week to charting and other administrative tasks. However, some doctors now turn to AI scribes to alleviate this burden. Using advanced language models, AI scribes are set to revolutionize medical documentation by enhancing efficiency and accuracy.
How AI scribes work
AI scribes harness the power of generative AI to assist health care providers with their documentation burden. These tools can transcribe spoken words, generate chart notes from text input, and suggest potential diagnoses based on the information. By automating these tasks, AI scribes aim to alleviate the administrative load on doctors, freeing them to concentrate more on patient care.
The benefits of AI scribes
Efficiency: AI scribes streamline the documentation process, enabling health care providers to see more patients and reduce wait times. Physicians who have adopted AI scribes report a significant reduction in the time spent on charting.
Improving patient interaction: With less time needed for documentation, physicians can spend more time engaging with their patients, potentially increasing patient satisfaction and the quality of care.
A recent publication by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) offers detailed advice on using AI-generated patient records. Key takeaways from the document include the following.
Privacy and consent: Patient consent is crucial when using AI tools, and health care providers must protect patient privacy. Hence, updating privacy impact assessments (PIAs) is recommended when integrating AI technologies.
Bias and data integrity: AI tools can introduce biases, and their outputs should be carefully reviewed for accuracy. The CPSA advises documenting the context of AI-generated notes to ensure transparency.
More information
The CPSA advises caution when using AI for patient record content until more information is available. The CMPA has also provided guidance on key considerations for clinicians looking to integrate AI into their practice.
For more detailed information, visit the CMPA’s and CPSA's official resources on navigating AI in health care:
- CMPA: Navigating AI in Healthcare, AI Scribes: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- CPSA: Artificial Intelligence in Generated Patient Record Content
Editor’s note: The views, perspectives and opinions in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of the AMA.
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