Can AI hear me? Nine facts about the artificial intelligence scribe

Abstract

This article summarizes important features of artificial intelligence scribe (AIS) and its application as a digital scribe through the utilization of voice recognition as it is integrated into the clinical practice of medicine. This discussion will include 1) digital scribe technology, 2) practical utility, 3) liability, 4) privacy, 5) integration to electronic health records (EHR), 6) technology burden, 7) case use, 8) AIS documentation styles, and 9) cost.  The use of AIS technology in healthcare is a promising tool and will result in variability applications requiring healthcare providers to be aware of the complexities of the tool before utilization, during implementation, the effect of it on workflow, and its acceptance by the patients we serve. AIS technology promises to decrease the cognitive workload of the healthcare provider, through application by relieving the ever-increasing burden of documenting the medical record, organizing, and capturing relevant medical data, by improving integration of this data into cumbersome EHRs, thus providing better work life balance. The authors piloted a version of an AIS in a primarily Spanish patient population. This article provides a unique perspective towards the usability of an AIS in a Hispanic patient population.