Clinician Experiences With Ambient Scribe Technology to Assist With Documentation Burden and Efficiency

Timely evaluation of ambient scribing technology is warranted to assess whether this technology can lessen the burden of clinical documentation on clinicians.

To investigate the association of ambient scribing technology with efficiency, quality, and perceived burden of clinical documentation in the outpatient setting. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective, single-group pre-post quality improvement study was conducted between April and June 2024 in the outpatient setting of an academic health system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Participants included physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Data were analyzed from July to August 2024. Exposure: Access to an artificial intelligence-driven ambient scribing tool for outpatient notes. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were time in notes per appointment, same-day appointment closure, after-hours work time, perceived burden of clinical documentation, and comments on clinicians' experiences using ambient scribing. A mixed-effects model was used. Both objective metrics and survey feedback were obtained. Targeted perspective questions, designed to assess clinician-perceived patient engagement and perceived documentation burden, were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Standard System Usability Scale (SUS) and net promoter score (NPS) formulas were used to analyze usability and recommendability data.