Webinar on leveraging AI scribes for your ideal practice (part 1)

Our fourth Ideal Primary Care Practice Model webinar took a look at how best to leverage AI scribes in your primary care and was hosted by Family Physician (and our CEO!) Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia and Family Physician Dr. Kevin Samson. You can review a recording here.

This webinar covered a lot, so we’ll break this up into two posts. First up, a few privacy/security and consent considerations.

Privacy and security

• Data should be processed and stored in Canada, retained only for as long as necessary, and managed in full compliance with privacy and security standards.
• OntarioMD and Supply Ontario are going to be posting a Vendor List of Record which lists AI Scribes that have been vetted to meet privacy and security standards and basic functionality requirements. This will be posted on the OntarioMD AI Knowledge Zone website in the coming weeks.

Consent

• Consent can be verbal.
• Express consent is needed for the use of AI Scribes. This means that the patient must actually “express” consent. It cannot be implied.
• Express consent is required because the visit is being recorded.
• It should be made clear that the recording will be deleted after the transcript has been generated and that any personal health information is kept secure and confidential, just like the info in the EMR.
• AI Scribes that use personal health information for secondary purposes should be avoided.
• Informing patients about AI Scribes is best done before the clinical encounter. This can be done online through secure messaging or online appointment booking systems. It can also be done on tablets or apps in the waiting room, at reception, or by providing info sheets in the exam rooms.
• Information for patients about consent should be short, clear and simple. Examples of consent can be found on the OntarioMD AI Knowledge Zone website.

We’ll be posting more about this webinar in the coming weeks. Be sure to check back soon!