Some clinicians are using AI to write health records. What do you need to know?

Imagine this. You’ve finally summoned up the courage to see a GP about an embarrassing problem. You sit down. The GP says: before we start, I’m using my computer to record my appointments. It’s AI – it will write a summary for the notes and a letter to the specialist. Is that OK?

Wait – AI writing our medical records? Why would we want that?

Records are essential for safe and effective health care. Clinicians must make good records to keep their registration. Health services must provide good record systems to be accredited. Records are also legal documents: they can be important in insurance claims or legal actions.

But writing stuff down (or dictating notes or letters) takes time. During appointments, clinicians can have their attention divided between good record-keeping and good communication with the patient. Sometimes clinicians need to work on records after hours, at the end of an already-long day.

So there’s understandable excitement, from all kinds of health-care professionals, about “ambient AI” or “digital scribes”.