AI scribe is a game-changer say clinicians

Using the artificial intelligence scribe tool Heidi has been a ‘game changer’ for frailty clinicians in Hull.

Before Heidi, staff at the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre were often working well beyond their hours, impacting on wellbeing and risking burnout.

Now, notes are written 11.4 minutes faster per consultation, dropping from about 30 minutes to 18 minutes. For Urgent Community Response, time has dropped from 13.3 to six minutes.

Heidi is an ambient AI scribe developed by Heidi Health UK which transcribes discussions between patients and clinicians and uses AI to structure consultation content into clinical notes and patient care plans.

More time, more learning

A key outcome has been to enable Protected Time for Learning. Previously, this had not been possible due to the pressure of admin taking up the allotted time.

An evaluation of Heidi commissioned by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber also showed that it improved documentation quality and enhanced staff wellbeing.

Time saved was invested in proactive staff training, while staff were able to finish the working day on time. The economic value of time saved was estimated at £300,000 per year.

The independent evaluation was carried out by York Health Economics Consortium and included multidisciplinary roles such as GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Consultants, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and Pharmacists.

Lead clinician Dr Andy Noble, a GP with an extended role in Frailty, described it as a smoother transition than the one to electronic patient records such as EMIS and System One, at the start of his career in the 1990s – and with an even greater impact.

Better experience for patients

Andy, of City Health Partnership CIC, said: “This is a game changer; this technology helps consultations to run more smoothly; we spend more time engaging with patients rather than looking at a computer screen; and for the first time, staff are finishing work on time.

“In a multi-disciplinary environment such as Frailty, a patient will be seen by different professionals who contribute to a care plan. Heidi helps by not only creating the consultation notes but also writing the patient care plan, removing medical jargon and creating a much more readable document for patients to take away with them.”

He added: “It improves the experience for both the healthcare professional and the patient, as there is less time typing on a computer, more eye contact and personal engagement.

“We have also been able to create protected learning time for staff, which we have been keen to do for years. It is already having a big impact and I am excited at the potential to do more, to improve care for our patients and improve the experience for staff.”

The pilot evaluated results from more than 3,500 sessions, in which more than 4,000 notes were created. A return on investment analysis calculated that for every £1 spent, the system generates £5.10 in value. Time saved equates to approximately 3,942 hours per year, which is an estimated cost saving of £313,484 per year.

It found that spelling errors dropped significantly – from 56 per cent to four per cent in audits.

100 per cent of notes successfully recorded patient concerns and follow up plans.

Digital Navigator Susan Weeks said: “When your patient is elderly or a bit hard of hearing, it helps them to feel they are getting your 100 per cent focus; I have heard patients saying they feel listened to and as though everyone here has time for them.

“I have worked in IT for many years and have supported many people to bring tech alive. But I think this has been one of the best examples of being able to see the benefit on the person.

“This technology really enables a person to focus on another person, which I think is wonderful.”

Heidi’s UK and Ireland Director Raghav Sharma said: “The most valuable thing at this stage of AI adoption is getting real validation.

“You can get validation from customers and people who love the technology; but it’s another level to have an independent organisation review how the system operates, what is changing, what are some of the unseen benefits or consequences.

“That is what we are getting completely independently from Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, which has been great.”

Watch a short video about using Heidi at the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre

Photo shows, from left: Dr Andy Noble; Sue Weeks, Digital Navigator at City Health Partnership; and Raghav Sharma, Director of Heidi Health in the UK.