AI In Practice

First-ever evaluation study of AI scribes in Ontario

According to a 2023 survey by the Ontario College of Family Physicians, primary care physicians in Ontario spend an average of 19 hours a week, or 40% of their time, on administrative tasks. OntarioMD (OMD) advocates for digital tools that allow doctors to focus their time on patients, not paperwork. AI scribe technology has the potential to help alleviate this administrative burden.? 

OntarioMD led an evaluation study of AI scribe technology, in collaboration with the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), to determine how it could help with reducing physicians’ administrative burden. The project was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and overseen by Ontario Health. The study involved 150 primary care providers from diverse demographic groups, technical backgrounds, and geographic areas, concluding in June 2024. Family doctors who participated in the study reported spending 70% to 90% less time on paperwork.

Read complete details of the first-ever evaluation study of AI scribes in Ontario’s Clinical Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation Technology to Reduce Administrative Burden in Primary Care (Final Report compiled by WIHV.