Trialling 'AI Scribes' to give clinicians more time with patients
South Australia’s public hospitals have started trialling artificial intelligence (AI) scribes to help reduce the administrative burden on clinicians and give them more time with patients.
The locally developed AI Scribe system is being tested at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), where it will generate clinical notes from doctor–patient conversations in emergency and urgent care settings.
The initiative stems from an AI Scribe project first funded by The Hospital Research Foundation Group through the Health Translation SA (HTSA) Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Catalyst Grant Scheme.
The project aims to develop a fit-for-purpose AI documentation tool integrated within SA Health’s digital infrastructure, specifically designed to meet the needs of South Australia’s public hospital system.
Led by Associate Professor Johan Verjans (University of Adelaide), Dr Anthony Porter (CALHN), Associate Professor Emily Kirkpatrick (EKology Health, AIML) and Bronwyn Krieg (CALHN), the project has grown rapidly since its inception.It has now gained statewide support from all Local Health Networks and the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health (CEIH).
Dr Porter said the early funding from The Hospital Research Foundation Group through the Catalyst Grant was critical in getting the project off the ground.
“We definitely wouldn’t have started this without Catalyst funding support,” Dr Porter said.
“Now our project manager has been appointed as AI Project Manager at Central Adelaide, and we have just been granted funding from the Department of Treasury to continue the work. This genuinely wouldn’t have happened without Catalyst funding.”
As trials begin, the team’s work is focusing not only on improving efficiency but ensuring ethical use of AI in healthcare – including protections for patient privacy, informed consent, and equitable care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
An accompanying education program is also being rolled out to help healthcare professionals and policymakers better understand AI’s capabilities and limitations.
