AI scribes prove popular with Canadian doctors: report

In a bid to combat mounting administrative burdens, family doctors across Canada are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) scribes, according to a report from CBC.

Recently, the Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) in Toronto evaluated six AI scribes on such measures as the accuracy and quality of the medical notes and their ability to handle multiple speakers and accents.

"We had 1,000 people sign up for 150 spots," said Onil Bhattacharyya, director of WIHV, in the report. "It's not quite Taylor Swift tickets, but it's close."

With AI scribe technology, doctors and nurse practitioners spend 70 per cent to 90 per cent less time doing paperwork, according to a previous report from OntarioMD (OMD), a subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).

One of the reasons the technology is so popular among doctors is the "punishing" administrative burdens, including documenting patient visits, said Bhattacharyya.

Ottawa doctors are facing increased pressure as public servants seek medical notes to support requests for work-from-home accommodations, according to a previous report from CBC. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) had also urged an end to the requirement for sick notes for short-term minor illnesses, arguing that the practice places unnecessary burdens on physicians and strains an already overstretched healthcare system.

AI scribes make things better, said Vandana Ahluwalia, a rheumatologist in Brampton, Ont., in the CBC report.

"I can spend quality time" with patients and "be a lot more empathic," she said. She has also been able to do more complex physical exams, according to the report.

After having used AI scribes for eight months, Tahmeena Ali, a family physician in South Surrey, B.C., claimed in the same report that it saves her at least 20% of her time.

Are AI scribes accurate for doctors?

Despite the positives, AI scribes are not perfect.

“Based on its training from what other family physicians often suggest for back pain, the AI scribe added specific back exercises that Ali never mentioned herself. Each time a patient had a similar back issue, Ali would have to delete the incorrect text,” read part of the CBC report.

Also, AI scribe tools can't pick up everything that goes on during the appointment, such as how a patient appears or acts, according to Will Stymiest, a family physician in Fredericton.

Recently, the federal government launched the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to bolster Canada’s capacity to address AI safety risks. The CAISI will advance the understanding of risks associated with advanced AI systems and to drive the development of measures to address those risks, according to the government.

There have already been hospital networks – like Unity Health – that have added an AI medical scribe tool to patient care, said Bhattacharyya, according to CBC.

The next step is to incorporate AI scribes into electronic health records, so clinicians don't have to copy and paste from different software programs, he said.

Canadian businesses are increasingly turning to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a driver of productivity and competitive advantage – but many are struggling with full integration, according to a previous KPMG report.