Family doctors report spending 70 to 90 per cent less time on paperwork in a study evaluating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) scribe technology.
That's according to the finding of a study announced earlier this fall by OntarioMD (OMD), a subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), that examined the use of AI scribes by more than 150 family doctors and nurse practitioners (NPs) over a three-month period. AI scribes capture conversations between family doctors or nurse practitioners (NPs) and their patients and summarizes them into detailed electronic medical notes.
The family doctors and NPs assessed AI scribes' effectiveness in reducing their time spent on administrative tasks and the results are very promising.
"OntarioMD is proud to be leading this work on behalf of the province. OntarioMD is very encouraged by the early promise of AI as a response to the crushing administrative burden doctors face every day, and as a solution for the capacity challenges in Ontario's health care system," said Robert Fox, OntarioMD's CEO. "The study results demonstrate the substantial benefits of AI scribes to automate time-consuming tasks that optimize primary care practices, and restore clinicians' joy in medicine."
Highlights from the study include:
- 70% to 90% less time spent on paperwork, and 3 to 4 hours per week saved doing administrative tasks.
- 83% of participants said they would use an AI scribe in their practice long term.
- 82% of participants said they would recommend AI scribes to their colleagues.
- 79% of participants said they were able to spend more time on patient care.
- 76% of participants reported a reduction in information overload during patient consultations.
The OMD-led project was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health through its agency, Ontario Health. The eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) partnered with OMD to implement the project with more than 150 family doctors or nurse practitioners.
"Our team is proud to offer high-quality, large-scale evaluations of digital health technologies, such as AI scribes, working with our partners to inform the future of health care delivery in Ontario, says Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, Director of WIHV. The findings of this evaluation show the potential this technology has in addressing the issue of burdensome administrative work in primary care."
Part of the evaluation included the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), or bots, to automate actions documented by the AI scribe during patient visits, such as sending appointment reminders to patients. Benefits included faster follow up with patients to book appointments, a more streamlined booking process for patients, and improved continuity of care.
"By reducing paperwork and streamlining routine tasks through AI and automation technology, clinicians are empowered to devote more of their time and expertise to what truly matters – their patients," said Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia, CEO of the eHealth Centre of Excellence. "This study represents a significant step towards a future where digital tools decrease the burden on clinicians and enhance the efficiency of primary care practices."
Read more about the report's findings to inform plans for widespread adoption of AI scribes and bots.