Patients voice concern over GP AI transcription tools

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By Ella Pickover, PA Media

Patients have expressed concerns over the use of artificial intelligence transcription tools used during certain GP consultations.

The patient champion, Healthwatch England, has called for regulators to establish best practice standards for the use of AI scribes.

Doctors have been using AI transcription tools to help speed up note taking during consultations and they have been encouraged to roll out the use of the tools “at pace”.

But a new poll suggests that there are some visits for which patients would rather GPs did not use the AI tools.

And Healthwatch England warned the tools could “undermine trust” if patients are unaware what they are doing and what happens with their personal information.

The new poll, conducted by YouGov on 4,039 adults in England, found four in five (81%) said they want health professionals to seek their explicit consent when AI scribes are used.

Healthwatch said that because AI scribing tools are used for direct patient care, health professionals do not need to seek an ‘opt in’ from patients, but that services have been told to make people aware that AI scribing as a new technology is being used.