Dr. Harrison Jackson explains about the ambient listening app he uses with patients during office visits at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The app uses artificial intelligence to create notes and organize medically useful information, saving healthcare professionals time and allowing them to focus on patients. Photo courtesy of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us, from smart home devices to entertainment and social media algorithms. But does AI have applications in healthcare? A new national survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds that most Americans believe AI can be applied to healthcare, although they have some reservations.
The results of a nationwide opinion poll of 1,006 people revealed the following:
To address some of these issues, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is piloting the Microsoft Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot application, which uses conversational, ambient and generative AI to securely listen in on caregiver and patient encounters and draft clinical notes in the patient's electronic medical record. Instead of typing notes during the encounter, caregivers can focus on the patient and review and edit notes after the encounter.
Ravi Tripathi, MD, chief medical information officer at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, led the pilot program, in which 24 physicians and advanced practice physicians in primary care, cardiology and obstetrics and gynecology tested the technology during outpatient visits between mid-January and mid-March of this year.
After getting patient permission, the provider records the encounter through the AI application, and once the encounter is complete, the notes are organized and available for review within a minute.
“This has saved up to four minutes per consultation, time that doctors can now use to engage with patients, educate them and make sure they understand the plan going forward,” Tripathi said.
“A few clinicians preferred the previous workflow, but overall, 80% completed the pilot. In fact, the AI solution had such a significant impact on their practice during the eight-week test that they gave permission to continue using it afterward.”
Ohio State University is carefully deploying AI to help healthcare workers spend less time at computers and more time interacting with patients. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
One pilot participant, internist Harrison Jackson, MD, was frustrated by the data entry he had to do after each patient visit.
“The records are necessary, but they detract from the quality of the interaction with the patient during the appointment. I even apologize. I say, 'I'm sorry. I know I make more eye contact with the computer than I do with you,'” Jackson said.
After testing the AI documentation, Jackson reported that it made occasional mistakes, such as incorrect pronouns and mixed up words, all of which were easily corrected during chart reviews. He is a supporter of the future use of AI in healthcare.
“We're spending the same amount of time with each patient, if not more, with more eye contact and quality time. Having the AI program record the details of the physical exam out loud helps spark conversation,” Jackson says. “I've also had residents under my supervision use the technology and have seen an improvement in the quality of their interactions and the plans they present.”
While the majority of Americans also recognize the value of AI in healthcare, the survey found that just over half (56%) still find AI somewhat scary, and 70% are concerned about data privacy.
“We understand patients have concerns about privacy and data security, but we apply the same standards to artificial intelligence and this technology as we do to electronic health records,” Tripathi said.
Ohio State University expanded access to environmental records to all outpatient care providers as of July 1. In the first two weeks of expanded use, 100 clinicians recovered 64 hours of their time and patients saw improved satisfaction scores, with many reporting more meaningful conversations with their physicians.
This survey was commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and conducted by SSRS on the Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a nationwide, twice-monthly probability-based survey. Data collection took place from May 17-20, 2024, among 1,006 respondents.
The survey was conducted via the web (n=974) and telephone (n=32) and was conducted in English. The margin of error for the overall respondent population is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All data from the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is weighted to be representative of the target population of U.S. adults aged 18 and older.
Courtesy of The Ohio State University Medical Center
Source: Survey: Majority of Americans Comfortable with AI in Healthcare (August 21, 2024) Retrieved August 21, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-survey-americans-comfortable-ai-health.html
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