Local health care service using AI to assist workers, patients

With AI being utilized in more ways across more fields, it should come as no surprise that it’s popping up in health care work, even here in the region.

The Cambridge North Dumfries Ontario Health Team (CND OHT) is a collection of more than 40 health agencies and providers across Cambridge and North Dumfries, serving roughly 150,000 people.

It’s using an AI scribe called Heidi to help health care workers with the documentation side of their jobs.

An AI transcription will listen in on the conversation people have with their physician or nurse practitioner and document the conversation for the healthcare professional to refer to later.

Raymond Dolch is the digital health lead for the CND OHT, and he said that the goal of using AI is not to replace workers but to help them.

“Really we want to increase the human connection that your clinician can have with a patient,” Dolch said. “So they don’t just take notes when they’re seeing you on your visit, so they can spend time on you and be present.”

The use of AI for transcription is preferred over traditional programs because it enables the creation of clinical documentation that healthcare workers are familiar with. Additionally, it eliminates unnecessary parts of the conversation, such as introductions or casual conversation before the appointment begins.

Burnout is a serious problem in health care, with administrative tasks such as note-taking consuming an increasing amount of time, which detracts from the time spent focused on the patient.

By having the AI take care of the note-taking side of things, it means workers can find more time for work-life balance, as well as make more time to see more patients.

People are asked for their consent before the AI is used, and results so far have been promising, even just five months in.

Some doctors at The Cambridge North Dumfries Ontario Health Team have noted that the use of the AI means they can engage more with their patients, listen to their concerns, ask thoughtful questions, and develop more personalized and effective care plans.

Dolch said there’s been a reduction of 500 clinical hours per week, which, using the Ontario Medical Association Standard rate for pay, means it’s seen weekly savings of $80,000 per week.