Artificial Intelligence is becoming the main topic of conversation, and this is happening globally in the world of medicine. In recent years medical devices have used AI machine learning for reading mammograms and detecting numerous problems ranging from heart to eye conditions. Now with the number of administrative tasks that Family Physicians are having to complete, they are turning to new and efficient ways to assist them. AI is playing a role in assisting physicians with these tasks, taking the burden of paperwork, and freeing them up to spend more time with their patients and gain a healthier work-life balance.

The Province of Ontario has 150 primary care clinics/physicians taking part in a pilot program that involves using artificial intelligence technology to transcribe notes and summarize patient visits. The Ontario government is using the AI Software Scribe with the goal of reducing the paperwork and administrative tasks. With the patient's consent, the software will summarize the conversations between physicians and patients.

According to reports, family doctors are likely to spend 19 hours of their work week on administrative tasks, this includes 4 hours of writing notes and filling out patient forms. That is equal the amount of time doctors spend seeing patients. According to Dr Andrew Park, CEO of Ontario Medical Association, "administration takes up 19 hours a week of physician's time, leaving less time for them to see more patients and have healthy work-life balance".

Other research has shown that the use of AI software can free up after-hours administrative tasks by 50%, allowing physicians to see more patients. 2.3 million people in Ontario are without a family physician and this is expected to increase over the next few years. WavieTheWait a northern Ontario company is using AI software to reduce the time that physicians and staff are spending on administration. They have received a $250K investment to help them expand with the goal of reducing administrative tasks. Up to 94% of physicians have reported that they are overwhelmed with paperwork, and it is taking up 40% of their work week. Doctors have not gone to medical school to learn how to enter data into a computer, they are there because they want to learn how to be hands on and provide the best quality of patient care they can.

An Ottawa hospital will be launching a yearlong trial using Microsoft AI tool DAX CoPilot in June 2024. This will include different departments within the hospital using AI to record and transcribe into a medical note for the patient's records. It will include information shared between the patient and physicians, the diagnosis, and lay out the care plan for the patient moving forward. Notes will be reviewed and signed off by the physician and accessible to the patient. Hospital chief of staff- Dr Viginia Roth says that "a select number of doctors in various departments, including the emergency department have volunteered to take part in the year long trial of DAX Copilot 7, and this will reduce the 10 hours a week or more doctors spend on paperwork. Software has been tested and is surprisingly accurate". Right now, the software in the trial is by a US-based company and currently only understands English and Spanish. Dr Roth hopes that it will not be long before this can be available in French as well, this will be extremely helpful for French Canadian Doctors and their patients.

There are thousands of doctors using software or something like it to assist them with taking exam notes, patient sick notes, communicating with their patients by AI answering and replying to messages and keeping patient records tidy and updated.

Another AI Software being used is Salesforce Einstein 1 Platform. The Einstein Copilot software has two main functions - acting as the doctor's assistant and speeding up the doctor's job by reducing their hours on administrative tasks. The Einstein platform not only can summarize patient information, it can also book appointments and send doctor referrals. The 2nd function of the Einstein platform is the Assessment Generation, this feature creates health assessments without the doctors having to produce them by themselves. These features will reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing the doctor to spend more time with their patients.

AI Accurate & Safe

There are some AI companies that use software that can take up to 14 languages. With all technology this will involve updates and some glitches will need to be ironed out along the way - sometimes it finds it hard to understand and translate accents. The doctor needs to explain the process clearly to be transcribed with the correct information. If AI is being used to summarize patients and physician's conversations and record notes, where does the information go and is this safe? AI software companies have reassured their clients that AI is safe and secure, and the patient's records are securely stored in a cloud, the same as any electronically recorded information and is still protected under the personal health information act.

Conclusion

Using AI to record patient exams allows the doctor to have more eye contact with their patients and focus on the exam itself. It reduces doctor's administrative workload, reducing physician burnout and results in the doctor being more efficient and effective serving their patients. This can only benefit the doctor and the patient relationship, with the focus directly on the patient, and less time referring to notes on the computer. Doctors and medical facilities using AI have said it has made a life changing difference to their job, when it comes to reducing hours spent on patient notes and administrative tasks, giving them the time to spend with their patients but also allowing them to have a better, healthier work-life balance. According to survey carried out in the US between Oct 23- Nov 8, 2023, by AthenaHealth 90% doctors reported burn out on a regular basis, 60% of doctors felt that they are not getting enough in-person time with their patients and 64% of doctors said they felt overwhelmed by administrative requirements.

This is not just a challenge for Canadian doctors, this is a global challenge facing the world of medicine. Can you imagine that if AI can play its role this would free up the physicians to see more patients, reduce the waiting lists, assist with sickness and patient administration notes allowing the physician to regain their work-balance balance while they continue to focus on what they enjoy most about the job patient focused care.