AI scribes

In Fredericton, Dr. Will Stymiest, a family physician, recently noticed an intriguing shift in his workplace routine. A fellow doctor was leaving the office earlier, thanks to an AI tool that transcribes and summarizes patient interactions. Curious, Dr. Stymiest tried the tool himself—and within a week, he was convinced. “I’m now spending less time on paperwork in the evenings and weekends,” he shared, adding that it frees him up for family time and reduces burnout.

AI scribe technology is designed to enhance healthcare efficiency. Using microphones, it listens to doctor-patient conversations, filters out casual talk, and summarizes key points into structured medical notes. These notes, stored in patient files, assist other healthcare providers such as nurses and physiotherapists. Notably, Stymiest sees how this technology could help alleviate waitlist pressures in New Brunswick, where over 92,000 people are waiting for primary care. With less time spent on documentation, Stymiest estimates he could see three additional patients daily.

Interest in AI scribe technology is spreading across Canada. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) recently conducted trials to evaluate AI scribes’ accuracy and efficiency. Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, a Women’s College Hospital director, remarked that doctors flocked to the study. “We had 1,000 people sign up for 150 spots—it was almost like Taylor Swift tickets,” he joked. Bhattacharyya believes this enthusiasm reflects physicians’ need to reduce “punishing” paperwork.

While promising, AI scribes are not perfect. They sometimes generate errors or suggest actions doctors did not mention, requiring oversight. Cost can also be a barrier, with prices ranging from $100 to $400 monthly for community physicians, though bulk purchasing may reduce costs over time. Ontario has been evaluating these tools, and physicians report a reduction of three hours per week spent on after-hours paperwork.

Despite these hurdles, AI scribes have already shown significant benefits. The next steps include integrating them directly into electronic health record systems across Canada to streamline usage. As Dr. Vincent Liu of Kaiser Permanente highlighted, while AI is not a replacement for human insight, its role in healthcare will continue to expand, enhancing patient care and physician workflow.

Source: Swifteradio.com