How AI Scribes are reducing administrative burden in primary care
Primary care clinicians in Ontario and beyond are facing a crisis. Over 70% of them report experiencing burnout due to an overwhelming administrative workload. Administrative tasks like documentation, prescription management, lab result reviews, and completing forms can consume over 40% of a clinician’s time, often extending into after-hours work. This heavy burden not only contributes to burnout but also limits the time clinicians have to spend with their patients.
However, artificial intelligence (AI) scribes are emerging as a game-changing solution to ease the administrative burden and help primary care clinicians focus on what they do best – caring for patients. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into the results from a 2024 AI scribe evaluation that was co-led by Amplify Care (formerly eHealth Centre of Excellence) OntarioMD, and Women’s College Hospital to explore how AI scribes help to reduce administrative work.
Real-World Impact: Time Savings
The impact of AI scribes on reducing administrative workload has been substantial. In the study involving 152 clinicians across Ontario, it was found that the use of AI scribes led to a 69.5% reduction in time spent documenting during clinical encounters.
On average, clinicians spent 100 seconds documenting an encounter with an AI scribe, compared to 328.6 seconds without it. This dramatic reduction in documentation time is a significant step toward addressing the administrative overload that so many clinicians face.
Beyond clinical encounters, the evaluation revealed that clinicians also saved an average of three hours per week on administrative tasks after hours, once they integrated AI scribes into their daily workflow. This time-saving benefit was particularly apparent in those who previously struggled to complete their medical notes in a timely manner.
Reducing After-Hours Work
One of the most appreciated benefits of AI scribes is the reduction of after-hours documentation. Many clinicians reported that using an AI scribe allowed them to complete their notes by the end of the day, eliminating the need for additional work once they left the office. Nearly half of the clinicians in the study reported minimal to no time spent on after-hours documentation after adopting AI scribes, which directly contributed to improved work-life balance and reduced burnout.
A Reduction in Stress and Burnout
The administrative burden in primary care has long been linked to stress and burnout, with over 55% of Clinicians in the study reporting that using AI scribes helped reduce their stress levels and improved their overall job satisfaction. This was especially true for women, who reported a greater reduction in administrative burden than their male counterparts. The ability to spend more time with patients and less time on documentation allowed many Clinicians to experience an increased sense of professional fulfillment, contributing to a more sustainable and enjoyable work environment.
Higher-Quality Medical Notes
In addition to saving time, AI scribes have improved the quality of medical documentation. Clinicians noted that the notes generated by AI scribes were more accurate and detailed than the notes they created manually. These high-quality notes were not only completed in real-time but also included better information than what Clinicians might have remembered from memory alone. This enhanced documentation process reduces the chances of errors, improves patient care, and contributes to better long-term outcomes.
Conclusion
AI scribes are proving to be an invaluable tool in reducing the administrative burden faced by primary care clinicians. By automating time-consuming documentation tasks, these tools not only save clinicians valuable time but also reduce after-hours work, mitigate stress, and improve work-life balance. As a result, primary care clinicians are experiencing enhanced job satisfaction and professional fulfillment, which ultimately benefits both them and their patients.
Further reading
As leaders in the AI scribe space, we support the successful integration of AI tools into clinical workflows, helping healthcare providers unlock the full potential of this transformative technology.
We recently co-led an evaluation of AI scribes in Ontario. Download the report to learn more.
