The Royal Australian College of GPs, the leading general practice organisation in Australia, has published guidance for doctors who wish to implement AI to support clinical documentation.
Artificial intelligence captures patient speech during a clinical visit and converts it into text, which becomes part of the patient’s medical record.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?
RACGP proposes to begin by developing a policy for the implementation and apply of AI scripters.
According to the guidelines, the following issues should be considered before deciding to adopt a child:
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Evidence of product safety, effectiveness and usefulness in the Australian GP context
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Ease of apply
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Time efficiency and impact on clinical workflow
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Informing Patients About Using an AI Writing Tool
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Ensuring patient consent
In addition, the RACGP advises GPs to consult their compensation insurers before purchasing and using AI scriber services. They must also ensure that the technology complies with Australian data collection and storage regulations.
While AI is particularly helpful in automating clinical documentation, the RACGP warns of the risks associated with it.
“GPs should carefully review the results produced by the AI scribe for false positives and negatives and edit the text as required (adding any missing information or omitting incorrect information). GPs may then add their own notes and observations, and in some cases attach documents, before signing off on the paperwork.”
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT
Australian GPs reportedly spend about a tenth of their time each week on practice management. Many, according to a recent RACGP survey, also expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of administrative work they do.
“AI-based scripts could reduce the administrative burden on GPs, which contributes significantly to burnout, and improve patient satisfaction, but they need to be used with caution,” RACGP president Dr Nicole Higgins said in a statement.
She also stressed that this technology can only serve as a supplement to the tedious work associated with clinical documentation.
“It is important to understand that AI scribes cannot replace the work of GPs in preparing clinical records, and doctors must carefully check the accuracy of their results because they may make mistakes.”
MARKET OVERVIEW
Nuance’s Dragon Ambient eXperience Copilot, one of the most popular AI-powered clinical documentation tools on the market, was recently made available for full integration with common EMR systems. Epic and Meditech Expanse.
A “Mandarin version” of this technology was recently developed by the China Medical University Hospital. The Generative Healthcare Smart system also uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology to analyze and summarize voice information provided by physicians.
In Australia, a startup Heidi’s health recently raised nearly $7 million in Series A funding for its AI-powered clinical productivity tool, which is now used by 100 family physicians nationwide.