Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days. So it's not surprising that innovation has reached the healthcare sector.
That latest venture? ai scripts.
From hospitals to GP clinics, the tool has been praised for helping to reduce the broken load from burnout.
Dr. Ben Condon, who currently works for an Australian health technology company, first stumbled on AI during the transition in the rural emergency sector in Western Australia.
“I was writing all the notes in terms of giving me extra hand,” he said.
However, experts warn that there is a real risk. Patient information from data breaches can get quite pennies on the dark web, and technology can generate “misleading” information.
How does it work?
As the name suggests, AI Scribe uses software to transcription of consultations between doctors and patients in real time. This is like a courtroom typist.
A doctor can then generate medical notes to review and approve additions to a patient's medical record.
GPS and hospitals are featured using Speech-to-Text AI Scribes to facilitate the administrative workload of clinicians. (ABC News: Emily De Boson))
“I'll say it simply [it can save] Shift time,” Dr. Condon said.
“It's really specific… In a 15-minute consultation, you usually write memos for 8-10 minutes, which is reduced within a minute.
“Amplifying across the entire shift is pretty important.”
Three hospitals and health services are currently piloting AI scribes, according to Queensland Health.
Dr. Nick Im, Queensland president of the Australian Medical Association, said the move is “revolutionizing” how doctors work and how patients are treated.
He said it complemented the ongoing rollout of other digital innovations, such as Integrated Electronic Medical Record (IEMR).
“IEMR offers a base system that allows you to add AI tools… The rollout has been made for years and we welcome the news that is currently being implemented on 80 sites across HHSS,” Dr. Yim said.
“These tools can make mistakes.”
Experts recognize that tools to reduce workloads for working physicians can bridge key gaps, but they also warn of potential pitfalls.
Saeed Akhlaghpour, an associate professor at the University of Queensland and an expert on AI and health data protection, said he was cautiously optimistic about the increased use of the technology.
“There are immediate benefits [but] That said, the risks are genuine and I have some major concerns. They are shared by many clinicians, legal experts and privacy regulators,” he said.
Dr. Akhlaghpour has been investigating health data breaches and patient consent for many years. (Supplied: Dr. Saeed Akhlaghpour))
Since AI Scribes is currently not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the legal liability for what is generated by the software rests on the physician, Dr. Akhlaghpour added.
“These tools can make mistakes, especially in strong accents, noisy rooms, or medical terminology.
“AI Scribes can misunderstand or omit clinically important information, such as confusing drug names, misunderstandings of symptoms, and even hallucination content.“
A recent review by Royal Australian General Practitioners noted that the hallucination rates of misleading production generated by AI tools range from 0.8% to nearly 4%.
Dr. Akhlaghpour said it could lead to errors in records and risks to patient safety.
“Unlike minor typos, these mistakes can have serious consequences if they are not corrected to the patient's health record,” he said.
Keep your data safe
Recently, airline Qantas has been a victim of a major data attack. This is the latest case in a long list of incidents where personal information is leaked online.
As hacking attempts and data breaches become more common and AI use in the healthcare sector grows, ways to protect patient information remains an important issue.
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Dr. Saeed Akhlaghpour said it comes down to how individual clinics and medical services implement them while safety measures are in place.
“Hospitals and clinics need great internal systems, including proper training, IT security, multifactoral authentication, and up-to-date privacy notices,” he said.
“Choosing a reputable vendor is also important: it stores data locally, uses encryption, and does not reuse patient data from AI training without consent.”
Dr. Akhlaghpour said he is not aware of any reported data breaches related to AI Scribe Technology in Australia, but serious incidents have been seen in the broader healthcare sector.
“Medical records are especially valuable on the dark web, which is 20-100 times more valuable than stolen credit card details.”
He said.
“That's why protecting them isn't an option. That's what matters.”
