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The government plans to roll out an artificial intelligence transcribing tool to emergency departments across the country, after a trial indicated it cut after-hours administration by 81%. The AI scribe is said to securely record a consultation and automatically create draft clinical notes, referral letters, and follow-up summaries.
The doctor then reviews and confirms the notes to make sure they are accurate. Health NZ says the scribe is tailored to New Zealand's clinical language, meets all privacy requirements, and includes strong security protections to keep patient information safe. In announcing the roll out of a thousand scribe licenses, the Health Minister, Simeon Brown, said the pilots in Hawkes Bay and Whanganui indicated that Doctors using the AI tool were able to see, on average, one additional patient per shift. AI scribes are already being used by a variety of primary health care providers, but concerns have been raised over patient consent and trust and legal issues.
Kathryn is joined by Sonny Taite, Health NZ Director of Digital Innovation and AI and Ben Gray is a former GP and an Associate Professor in Primary Health at Otago University.
