How AI Tools Are Transforming Healthcare Documentation and Care

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare has evolved rapidly, with AI technologies demonstrating their potential to significantly reshape clinical workflows. For physicians, these advancements present both remarkable opportunities and serious challenges. Two recent seminars, focusing on AI’s role in healthcare, offer valuable insights into how AI tools can be integrated into daily medical practice—improving efficiency, reducing administrative burdens, and allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care.

The first seminar, hosted by OSCAR BC, focused on the broader implications of AI across healthcare services, while the second, organized by the North Shore Division of Family Practice, delved into AI scribing tools that could ease the documentation burden for family physicians. Both events provide critical perspectives that every healthcare provider should understand as AI continues to influence modern medicine.

AI’s Expanding Role in Healthcare Services

AI’s capabilities are expanding quickly, as explored in the “Considering Artificial Intelligence Uses in Healthcare Services” seminar by OSCAR BC. Dr. Sian Tsuei and Callum Gaskin highlighted how AI tools are now capable of performing tasks that once required human intelligence, such as handwriting recognition, medical imaging analysis, and even complex diagnostic tasks. AI has the potential to assist physicians by improving access to medical literature guidelines and studies, helping with early diagnosis, streamlining treatment plans, and automating administrative functions.

However, the speakers also underscored significant challenges. Privacy concerns are paramount, particularly in relation to patient data security. With AI systems retaining sensitive information long after initial encounters, ensuring that AI can “forget” learned information isan important consideration (some companies offer customization of this) .. The possibility of “hallucinations”—inaccurate outputs from AI—poses another serious risk, especially in high-stakes environments like healthcare. Moreover, bias within AI models remains problematic. AI, often trained on real-world data, can perpetuate societal biases unless actively corrected. For physicians, it is vital to recognize these limitations while adopting AI technologies responsibly.

AI Scribing Tools: A Solution to Physician Burnout

On a more practical level, the North Shore Division of Family Practice’s seminar centered around the adoption of AI scribing tools tailored to family physicians in British Columbia. The speakers, Drs. Daniel Ngui, Krystine Sambor, Maryam Zeineddin, and Pedro Gonzalez, shared their firsthand experiences using AI-powered scribe systems. These tools are designed to assist with clinical documentation, helping physicians  more efficient , reduce burnout, and allowing clinicians to focus  more on direct patient care.

Dr. Ngui, an earlier adopter of AI scribes, emphasized that after generating over 3,500 notes using AI, his administrative workload had been drastically reduced. AI scribes allow physicians to operate at their clinical best by taking over tedious documentation tasks. Dr. Sambor further explained that while these tools may not save a significant amount of time immediately, they reduce the cognitive load, making daily tasks feel less taxing.

Benefits of AI Scribes: Efficiency and Patient Interaction

For many physicians, one of the most appealing aspects of AI scribes is the ability to enhance efficiency without compromising patient interaction. Dr. Sambor noted that she could engage more naturally with patients, as AI scribes allowed her to minimize typing during consultations. The scribing tools she used could produce highly accurate summaries of patient encounters, giving her more time to listen to and connect with patients, rather than worrying about inputting notes.

Dr. Zeineddin and Dr. Gonzalez demonstrated how AI scribing tools can use advanced natural language processing to create comprehensive and detailed medical notes in real-time. Further, these tools are capable of generating simplified summaries of visits, instructions for patients, further streamlining the physician-patient interaction. This not only improves operational efficiency but also helps to strengthen the physician-patient relationship, ensuring that care remains patient-centered.

Overcoming Challenges: Privacy, Consent, and Bias

Despite these advantages, both seminars acknowledged the challenges that AI introduces to healthcare workflows. In addition to privacy concerns, Dr. Sambor highlighted the need for transparent consent processes when using AI scribing tools. Physicians should inform patients about how their data will be used, particularly as AI systems learn from each patient encounter. Ensuring that patients understand and consent to this usage is essential for maintaining trust and adhering to legal and ethical standards.

Bias in AI, another critical issue raised by both seminars, has the potential to skew healthcare outcomes. AI systems may struggle with certain accents, dialects, or demographic data, leading to misinterpretation of patient information. Physicians must remain vigilant and review AI-generated notes for accuracy, ensuring that the technology does not inadvertently perpetuate inequities in care.

AI’s Role in the Future of Healthcare 

The transformative potential of AI in healthcare is undeniable. As seen in diagnostic imaging and cancer diagnosis, AI is already outperforming human experts in certain tasks. Yet, the adoption of AI must be approached cautiously. As Dr. Tsuei explained, regulatory frameworks are still underdeveloped. Who bears the liability when AI makes mistakes? How should healthcare providers vet AI tools to ensure patient safety? These are critical questions that will need to be addressed as AI becomes more integrated into medical practice.

Everyday, new documents and guidelines are being published about the use of AI in healthcare, and doctors should strive to keep up to date. The Doctors of BC has already published guidelines. 

 There will be a paradigm shift in how we work as AI is increasingly capable of handling tasks traditionally reserved for human professionals, such as analyzing medical records, interpreting diagnostic images, and even assisting with diagnosis

While AI can enhance clinical efficiency, physicians and healthcare workers must consider how to position themselves in an AI-augmented world where their roles may shift dramatically.

Why Physicians Should Watch These Seminars 

The content of these seminars is critical for physicians who wish to stay ahead of the curve. Both seminars offer deep dives into how AI is currently transforming healthcare, and how its use will only grow. From practical scribing tools that can save time and improve workflow, to the broader implications of AI in diagnostics and treatment, these discussions provide the foundational knowledge physicians need to make informed decisions about AI adoption in their practice.

By watching these seminars, physicians can gain a balanced understanding of AI’s potential benefits and limitations. They can learn how to navigate privacy concerns, address bias in AI, and implement these tools in a way that supports—not replaces—their expertise. In short, the future of AI in healthcare is unfolding rapidly, and physicians should be ready to adapt and thrive in this new landscape.

Access the AI Tools chart compiled by the North Shore Division here.