Study Shows AI Scribes Significantly Improve Clinician Workload and Satisfaction

On October 2, the JAMA Network published findings from a new study on using ambient artificial intelligence (AI) scribes and how it impacts clinicians' administrative burden. The study involved 263 physicians and advanced practice practitioners across six healthcare systems and found that, after 30 days using an ambient AI scribe, burnout among those working in ambulatory clinics significantly decreased from 51.9 percent to 38.8 percent.

The researchers observed notable improvements in cognitive task load, after-hours documentation time, patient-focused attention, and urgent access to care. They concluded that the findings suggest AI could be useful in reducing administrative burdens for clinicians and creating more time for meaningful work and professional well-being.

Of the 451 clinicians enrolled, 272 completed the surveys, and 263 with direct patient care in ambulatory clinics were included in the analysis.

The quality improvement study utilized pre-intervention and 30-day post-intervention surveys to evaluate the use of the same ambient AI platform for 30 days for clinical note documentation. The study was conducted between February 1 and October 31, 2024.