How will AI scribes shape the future of medicine
The Prince Charles Hospital Medical Administration Registrar Dr Jill Gardner accepts the Margaret Tobin Award from RACMA President Professor Erwin Loh.
The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) Medical Administration Registrar Dr Jill Gardner explored this topic recently in front of several hundred colleagues at the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) national conference in Perth.
Each year, RACMA members are invited to present at their respective State conference, with a winner from each progressing to the annual national final.
Dr Gardner’s presentation ‘Who’s Watching the Bots? Governance tales from an AI Scribe Pilot’ was chosen to represent Queensland and went on to win the prestigious national Margaret Tobin Award.
The national award judges said her presentation stood out for its insight into the evolving relationship between technology, human oversight and patient-centred care.
Dr Gardner said her interest in the emerging topic was borne from an AI scribe technology pilot underway at the TPCH Paediatric Outpatients department.
“I used the TPCH pilot project as an example of clinical governance required to roll out an AI scribe technology in a large organisation,” Dr Gardner said.
“This included addressing the pilot’s governance, addressing safety and quality, accountability and transparency, a person centred/led approach and workforce advancement.”
As part of the trial, Dr Gardner is also undertaking a Human Resource Ethics Committee (HREC) approved research project on how AI scribe technology could improve timeliness and quality of medical documentation and improve patient satisfaction.
Her research is also exploring physician satisfaction, including reduced burnout and cost effectiveness through a reduction in transcription costs and unplanned overtime.
Dr Gardner’s work reinforces TPCH’s commitment to embracing new technologies responsibly with patient safety and dignity always front of mind.
The prestigious national award honours former RACMA Fellow Dr Margaret Tobin, a specialist psychiatrist and an exemplar of modern mental health leadership.
Dr Tobin was known for her dedication to teaching, mentoring, support and advocacy.