1 in 3 Primary Care Physicians Have Already Tried AI Scribe Tools

What You Should Know:

  • Elation Health, the clinical-first technology company powering innovation in primary care, today announced the results of a survey of 229 primary care physicians focused on the benefits, desired features, and hurdles to adoption of artificial intelligence–powered (AI) medical scribe tools in the EHR.
  • AI scribe tools use speech recognition and natural language processing to capture and transcribe conversations between a physician and a patient during clinical encounters. 

Survey Outlines Hurdles to Adoption of AI Medical Scribe Tools in Healthcare

The survey indicates that 67% of primary care physicians haven’t experimented with AI scribe solutions and are relying on Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors for guidance on suitable options compatible with their systems. Among those delaying adoption, concerns include doubts about accuracy, insufficient integration with existing tools, and time constraints for research. 

Independent primary care physicians who haven’t tested AI scribe tools express interest in three main benefits: time savings (93%), improved clinician care experience (higher quality documentation, reduced cognitive burden, and enhanced job satisfaction), and enhanced patient care experience (improved focus on patients and more time for care coordination). Approximately 33% of respondents are currently testing AI scribe technologies, but these early adopters express dissatisfaction with existing solutions, seeking advanced features like better template personalization, patient education materials, and automation of repetitive tasks. Both those trialing and those opting not to purchase are turning to EHR vendors for potential solutions.

“Historically, healthcare technologies have been perceived to reduce physicians’ ability to connect with patients, underdeliver on time-saving promises, and distract them from delivering high-quality care,” said Kyna Fong, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Elation Health. “This survey affirms that our clinicians are cautiously optimistic about the potential of AI and its promise. As we continue in our mission to serve primary care physicians with trusted solutions that support high-value patient care, our team is thoughtfully building and applying AI’s powerful capabilities to meaningfully support clinicians that rely on Elation’s modern EHR platform.”