Artificial intelligence looks to be the next transcriber and summarizer for patient visits in Ontario, Canada, as the nation reportedly looks to help ease the burden of paperwork done by doctors.
The pilot program intends to deploy artificial intelligence software called Scribe to assist in condensing patient interactions into electronic medical records with their approval.
Sources indicate that research from other jurisdictions indicates AI software can free up to 50% of a doctor's time that would otherwise be spent on paperwork after hours, allowing them to see more patients.
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Dr. Andrew Park, President of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), stated that primary care physicians' "burden of unnecessary administration" consumes over 19 hours of their week, keeping them from seeing more patients and striking a healthy work-life balance. According to the OMA, collecting government medical forms and drafting sick notes takes up about four of those total hours.
Adil Shamji, a liberal MPP and former ER physician, cautioned reporters on Wednesday that AI systems must be deployed with caution since the devil is in the details and the implementation.
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AI To Take Over Gruesome Paperwork
According to Park, the number of Ontarians without a family doctor-roughly 2.3 million people, is predicted to rise in the next two to three years. The OMA issued a warning earlier this week, citing the time doctors in primary care spend on unpaid paperwork as a contributing factor in the decline in medical students' interest in family medicine.
In addition, the OMA announced on Wednesday that it is collaborating with the health ministry to expedite and simplify 12 important government medical forms, which are laborious and time-consuming for family physicians.
AI in Drug Prescriptions
While Canada is looking to use AI to reduce graphic and unnecessary paperwork, Oxford recently employed AI to resolve problems with pharmaceutical prescriptions. The new technology serves as a safety net for medical providers by providing rapid views of prescribed medications and detailed information to help patients better comprehend their therapy.
Dubbed the DrugGPT, the chatbot reportedly enables medical professionals to input a patient's details into the AI chatbot tool and generate a list of recommended medications while noting potential adverse effects and drug interactions.
One of DrugGPT's best qualities is its capacity to contextualize its recommendations by citing relevant guidelines and research. Even while some doctors already use AI chatbots for medical purposes, DrugGPT stands out for its effectiveness, achieving performance levels comparable to those of human specialists in medical exams.
Professor David Clifton, the project's principal investigator, asserts that DrugGPT is a helpful resource for medical practitioners, offering recommendations to enhance their expertise.
Dr. Lucy Mackillop, an obstetrician consultant, highlights how DrugGPT can provide healthcare providers with valuable information to improve patient understanding and medication compliance.
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