How Physicians are Taking Advantage of AI

Authored By: Carla Hu

Artificial intelligence (AI), from the infamous ChatGPT to the chatbots on websites, is transforming various fields, including medicine. Before AI, many physicians spent countless early morning hours grueling over administrative work or going so far as to use valuable patient consultation time to fill out electronic health records (EHR). With the recent advancements in AI, health systems have begun a significant shift to using AI-based tools to reduce physicians’ documentation burden [1]. As a result of these AI-based tools in healthcare, physicians are at the forefront of exploring exciting new territory in revealing the positive and negative consequences of AI-based technology.

According to several studies, many physicians report documentation as a significant burden, ultimately taking valuable time away from patients [2;3]. In fact, in a cross-sectional study conducted by Radboud University Medical Center, researchers found that physicians spent 44.0% of consultation time on EHR tasks, with the most time consuming task being information input [3]. It is therefore no surprise that in another study focusing on the 2019 National Electronic Health Records Survey, researchers found about 58.1% of physicians viewed time spent documenting, which reduced time spent with patients, was overtly excessive [3]. In addition to less dedicated face-to-face time with patients, 62% of physicians reported EHRs drove burnout due to the overwhelming amount of documentation they are required to complete [4].  One common method to relieve physician burden with documentation is the hiring of another pair of hands, such as a medical scribe. However, based on the National Electronic Health Records Survey, researchers did not find that scribe use was associated with less overall documentation time [3]. This suggests that physicians continue to have a significant workload with documentation, which takes away from patient care and is associated with physician burnout. This reveals a growing need for an alternative method, which may ease this physician burden, such as using AI-based tools.

At Ascension Saint Thomas, a revolutionary pilot program named Suki, an AI-powered voice assistant for physicians, has been newly implemented in the physician’s  day-to-day routine, in an effort to mitigate their workload [1]. Suki is used to decrease documentation burden on physicians, allowing physicians to be able to quickly access specific patient information, including allergies, medications, and other important medical history recorded in the EHR [1]. However, these benefits are not without possible negative consequences. A majority of physicians agree AI may have useful applications in their field, but many physicians lack a comprehensive understanding of how AI-based tools work, and 80% of physicians believe these tools may result in EHR privacy concerns [5]. These fears may be due to a generally limited understanding of AI, which goes so far as to plague even the creators of these AI-based tools. For example, Open AI admits their chatbot, ChatGPT, can generate answers that are well-worded, but incorrect [6]. This inevitably raises concerns of AI tools lacking accuracy and putting patients at risk of receiving misinformation. Regardless, physicians at Hackensack Meridian Health are beginning to take advantage of AI-based apps, which can take data entered by patients and automatically input this information directly for physicians to access and review [7]. The opportunities of AI-based tools may have multitudes of positive advances for the healthcare profession, but it is important to remain vigilant of the risks—from privacy concerns to misinformation.

It is imperative to acknowledge the current challenges faced by many physicians with regards to documentation and EHRs. We should be aware of the increasing usage of AI-based tools, which can have positive effects on patient care time and physician burnout. By taking small steps to integrate AI-based tools into the healthcare system, physicians and patients can mutually benefit from this newfound time, as patients receive more attention and personalized care. 

Citations

1. Adams, Katie. “Which Clinical Documentation AI Tools Are Health Systems Using?” MedCity News, 25 Aug. 2024, medcitynews.com/2024/08/clinical-documentation-healthcare-burnout/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

2. Ebbers T, Kool RB, Smeele LE, Takes RP, van den Broek GB, Dirven R. Quantifying the Electronic Health Record Burden in Head and Neck Cancer Care. Appl Clin Inform. 2022 Aug;13(4):857-864. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1756422. Epub 2022 Sep 14. PMID: 36104154; PMCID: PMC9474268.

3. Gaffney A, Woolhandler S, Cai C, et al. Medical Documentation Burden Among US Office-Based Physicians in 2019: A National Study. JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(5):564–566. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.0372

4. “Excessive Documentation Key to Physician Burnout | Athenahealth.” athenahealth, www.athenahealth.com/knowledge-hub/clinical-trends/medical-documentation-physician-burnout.

5. Castagno S, Khalifa M. Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence Among Healthcare Staff: A Qualitative Survey Study. Front Artif Intell. 2020 Oct 21;3:578983. doi: 10.3389/frai.2020.578983. PMID: 33733219; PMCID: PMC7861214.

6. OpenAI (2022) Introducing ChatGPT. https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

7. Sai, Dr. “Health Systems Are Increasingly Leveraging AI Bots for Primary Care.” Forbes, 24 Sept. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2024/09/23/health-systems-are-increasingly-leveraging-ai-bots-for-primary-care/.