Wow, it's certainly been a while since I've written an article, but I guess that's part of becoming a new parent.
I've observed over the past year there's been an increased rush to implement and hand off everything to AI with hopes it will be the savior of us all. Whether it's homework, blogging, or building automations- there is pressure implement this technology wherever we can to become smarter and more productive. Heck, every other Facebook ad in my feed seems to be related to something with AI. You also seeing an AI companion showing up in a lot of common apps you're used to using. Having grown up in the generation where we've seen emerging technology quickly infiltrate our lives and seeing so many fads come and go- I like to take a step back in my middle-aged wisdom and ask a few questions...
Am I implementing this new technology because this is what everyone is doing at the moment? Do I understand the technology I'm working with? Is this actually bringing real value to my life and those around me?
As any healthcare professional understands, documentation of our encounters with patients is an important part of our care. The attitudes and demands with it will vary across individuals or specialties, but most of us would agree it is the least fun part of our jobs. I've heard plenty of stories of healthcare practitioners carrying cases home, coming in on days off to chart, or doing "pajama time" which is charting in the wee-hours at night. The point is, this can be a very time-consuming activity.
Not only is It necessary to maintain a clear history of your care, but it is a legal requirement as well. But if done well, it can help the professional keep care organized because they can quickly find where they've been and plan for where they're going with patients. Part of what makes the care I deliver high-quality is that I document thoroughly- which I've done unapologetically for several years now. We've all been to appointments where the doctor can't seem to remember anything about you or what they've done or what you told them the visit before. Having been on the receiving end of that myself before, it is not a good feeling and not what you would expect of someone who is in charge of your well-being.
This is one area where I believe AI can meaningfully improve the lives of doctors and patients. It can take the drudgery out of charting and give us more time to focus on the patient during and outside the visit.
As my existing patients have experienced, I recently have been using a product called Medwriter, which is one of many new emerging AI tools that help healthcare professionals document their encounters. I've always been a stickler for detail and it does a great job at helping me capturing great information from interviews and formatting it in the way I love. It also does a wonderful job at taking my after-visit dictations and documenting it in a clean and organized way I've always preferred. Nope, they don't pay me, but they've been real awesome to hearing my feedback and helping to improve the product.
The result of tools like Medwriter is less franticness between visits to chart as much as possible and less "pajama time" at night. This translates to more stress-free time to plan what I will do with patients which improves their experience in the office - and most important of all - they feel I'm trying to help them get better. That's a big part of why we got into our professions right?
Final thought. I think this medium of communication is actually more important than before. As with AI being so prolific now, it is important that people continue to express produce creative and diverse thoughts, otherwise all our information becomes a homogenized AI consuming AI soup with time.
Thoughtfully written without AI.
Dr. Wen
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