AI Scribes

What is an AI scribe?

AI scribes (also known as digital or ambient scribes) use speech-to-text technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform clinician-patient conversations to complete administrative notes in the EMR. They serve as a bridge to integrate more advanced tools into clinical workflows to reduce administrative tasks and free up time for clinicians to see patients, thereby improving care delivery.

NEW: The eHealth Centre of Excellence, the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine and other health system partners have been awarded a $1 million Health Care Unburdened Grant to support AI scribe technology and reduce the administrative burden facing physicians.

Learn more here!

The eHealth Centre of Excellence is also proud to have led a provincial evaluation study of AI scribe in 2024, in collaboration with OntarioMD (OMD) and the Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV).

Key findings from the study include:

Participants (family doctors and nurse practitioners) noted a 69.5% average reduction in documentation time with AI scribes.
On average, 3 to 4 hours per week were freed up for direct patient care.
75.7% of participants reported reduced cognitive load during patient encounters when using an AI scribe.
Almost half (48%) perceived that the quality of care they delivered improved due to reduced cognitive fatigue.
82.3% of participants expressed a desire to continue using AI scribes long-term.

As part of the evaluation, our team also worked to understand how Robotic Process Automation might further support improved workflows by automating some of the actions documented by the AI Scribe during a patient/clinician encounter. We are continuing to explore possibilities – please reach out if you have ideas!