Using an AI Scribe Has Improved the Patient Experience

Giving patients a detailed summary of their visit and future plans can help enhance their overall experience in your office.
AI scribe
Photo Credit: Getty Images

As an active member of the eye care community, I often work with colleagues to learn how they do things differently with their patients to get ideas about how to improve patient care in my own office. Recently, I had the experience of shadowing a neurologist who I do a lot of work with, and I was immediately struck by how he didn’t write anything down during the patient visit. Instead, he was completely engaged with the patient, explaining everything in great detail, and being incredibly thorough in his exam. 

When the patient left, after receiving a detailed printout of everything the doctor said along with at-home instructions, and expressing their gratitude for the in-depth exam, I asked my colleague how he did that without writing down a single thing the entire time. His answer: an AI scribe. 

How an AI Scribe Works
I had been thinking about hiring a virtual scribe for my patient exams for some time, but after experiencing the AI scribe firsthand, I knew that’s what I wanted to adopt in my office. The only piece of equipment you need is an internet connection in your office and a web browser. Some AI scribe companies also offer mobile apps, so you can access them on your smartphones anywhere you are, but in my office, we primarily use one that’s housed on our office computers. 

Our AI scribe is designed specifically for medical use, and it is HIPAA compliant, which makes the transition process much easier. I start every exam by telling the patients that I’ll be using an AI scribe and that they’ll receive a transcript of the exam at the end of the visit. 

Then, the AI scribe just runs in the background of the exam. I push one button for the recording to start, and then I don’t have to touch another button until I’m ready for it to stop transcribing. When I’m done recording, the scribe provides different summary options depending on how detailed you want to get. One option is very brief, one is very detailed and includes just about every word that was said during the exam, and one is in the middle. When I do neurology exams, I typically select the most detailed option, as that has the most benefit for the patient and me. When I do basic eye exams, I’ll usually select the middle option, which gives us the perfect amount of detail for what we discussed during the exam. 

Details are Key
One of the biggest things I noticed when I first started using the technology was how thorough you have to be in your explanations. The AI scribe records everything you say and everything your patient says, but the less detailed you are, the less helpful it is for you down the road and for your patients. 

For example, if I’m seeing a patient with uveitis, I have to be as descriptive as possible when I’m talking about that with the patient. I say what I see — they have cells and a flare in the anterior chamber, and I’d recommend a specific kind of drop that the patient needs to utilize a certain number of times per day for a certain number of days. All of that information is valuable and helpful — for you, your patient, and the AI scribe. The more details you provide in the exam, the more the scribe has to work with and the more detailed your medical records are. 

Since having the AI scribe, it’s been a great way for me to do a self assessment and better understand the things I’m doing well and the things I’m not doing as well in the exam room. I see a lot of neurology-based cases, and I’ve found that I explain more complex things in great detail. However, I don’t see as many glaucoma patients, so I noticed I need to do a better job at being more detailed with those cases. 

Enhancing the Patient Experience
When I stopped and thought about my own experience seeing patients, I knew that I wanted to improve their experience. Over the years, I’ve been able to streamline my exams in such a way that chair time isn’t a major concern to me, but how the patient feels while they’re in my chair and afterwards is incredibly important to me. Since I’ve adopted an AI scribe in my office, I’ve been able to do that for my patients. 

When the exam is over, I’m able to sit down with the patient and let them know everything we just talked about and our plan for them was transcribed. They get a full assessment to take home with them, they know their next steps, and we do a brief overview of the whole exam before I send them on their way. I’ve gotten great patient feedback from this, too. Patients appreciate getting a whole summary of their exam and our future plans for their care. 

I’ve now seen thousands of patients with my AI scribe, and I’ve not received one negative comment about it. Regardless of age, demographic, race, or any other factors, every single patient has only had positive things to say about the experience. 

Jump Right In
If you’re considering adding an AI scribe to your practice, my biggest piece of advice would be to jump right in. There are always bugs you have to work out and learning curves with new technology, but the sooner you start, the sooner it’ll be optimizing your practice the way you want it to. 

For the first few weeks I was using the AI scribe, I was also typing everything into my electronic health record system and comparing the two to see the differences. There were so many instances where I was noticing the AI scribe was picking up details the patient had mentioned that I hadn’t remembered once the exam was over. There are so many details that we forget as soon as the moment passes, and the AI scribe has been so effective at picking up all of those details. 

I’d also recommend testing it out at home before you start using it with patients. There are so many free AI scribes, so try out a few different ones and ask your spouse or your kids or your staff members to play around with it with you. That will help give you a feel for how it works, how you want to use it, and the features that will be most helpful to you in the exam room.  

Author
  • Paul Brewer, OD

    Paul Brewer, OD, is a neuro-optometrist and performance coach specializing in visual rehabilitation, concussions, vision therapy, and vestibular therapy. Founder of Diverge Performance, Paul integrates cutting-edge neuroscience and evidence-based practices to optimize neurological and visual function for recovery and peak performance. An assistant professor at the Carrick Institute and VP for the International Sports Vision Association, Paul bridges disciplines in neurorehabilitation and sports vision. A global lecturer, researcher, and Olympian, he collaborates with sports organizations and TBI teams to enhance human performance through vision, movement, and sensory integration.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Copyright © 2020 Jobson Medical Information LLC unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.