By: Emily M. Bender and Decca Muldowney At a recent appointment, Emily’s physical therapist (who knows some about her research) said, “Before we get started,...

At a recent appointment, Emily’s physical therapist (who knows some about her research) said, “Before we get started, there’s something I want to ask you about.” The something was an automatic “scribing” system their office is trialling for two weeks and deciding whether to purchase. These systems take in a (presumably audio-only) recording of the patient encounter and then output a draft patient note for the chart.

So what’s the big deal with “AI” charting? Here are nine reasons why we recommend refusing to consent to the use of scribing tools in healthcare settings:

  • a_gee_dizzle@lemmy.caEnglish
    12·
    2 months ago

    medical offices seldom explain what exactly patients are ‘consenting’ to with ‘AI scribing’ well enough for people to be informed enough to thus be able to truly consent.

    My doctor never even told me that she was using it, I just figured it out when I noticed that she wasn’t typing anything and was saying a lot of technical stuff out loud (which was odd, because she must know I won’t understand the jargon). Then I saw that she had a very expensive microphone on her desk, and a what appeared to be an AI transcript program open on her computer. Absolutely no consent in my case. I wasn’t even informed. I had to figure it out for myself.

    • streetfestival@lemmy.caOPMEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      Shocking and outrageous.

      and was saying a lot of technical stuff out loud

      The quality article I linked to in another comment, from an early adopter turned critic of ‘ai scribing’, suggests you’re right that they’re not saying that for your benefit, they’re saying it for the scribe, to structure the note to their liking. This is an example of how the encounter/interaction with the patient changes as a result of using this software