AI ‘scribes’ in use at Manitoba doctors’ offices

Manitoba doctors have started using artificial intelligence-powered note-takers to tune in to appointments and transcribe in real time.

“It allows me to be more present with the patient and get more of the patient’s issues dealt with in a smaller amount of time,” said Dr. Nichelle Desilets, a family physician in Neepawa.

An “AI scribe” made both a noticeable dent in her workload and streamlined her workflow on Friday.

The president of Doctors Manitoba said the new technology allowed her to start more appointments on time and treat several walk-ins because she didn’t need to do extensive documentation after every visit.

Canada Health Infoway has recruited 400 local primary-care providers to pilot its AI Scribe Program, an initiative involving 10,000 physicians and nurses across the country.

The mandate of the federal government-funded organization is to integrate new technologies into hospitals and other health-care settings to improve productivity and patient outcomes.

Desilets is among those who’ve signed up for a one-year licence for Empathia AI — marketed as “a mindful charting assistant — via Infoway.

She has also experimented with Heidi AI and another similar tool that is built into her clinic’s electronic medical record system.

Infoway launched a new initiative last month after a review of AI tools to ensure it was only endorsing programs that are aligned with Manitoba’s Personal Health Information Act and counterpart legislation from coast to coast.

Spokesman Abhi Kalra said the goal is to use “ambient technology” to reduce administrative burden in a field where there is a lot of tedious manual labour.

“There is a tremendous amount of productivity to be tapped, safely using AI tools, but it has to be done in a thoughtful manner,” the executive vice-president of connected care said.

AI scribes are creating high-quality, structured summaries of patient visits, he said, noting they are not yet being used to assist with diagnosis or treatment decisions, although that is likely on the horizon.

Doctors Manitoba’s 2025 workforce survey found only six per cent of members were actively using an AI scribe as of February.

Seven in 10 of all 1,324 respondents indicated they had tried it at least once or were interested in trying it.

(The response rate for the latest annual membership poll was 39 per cent, which translates into a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent.)

The professional advocacy organization has since created a guide to learn more about the ethical use of AI tools and hosted a webinar that attracted more than 350 attendees in late June.

Earlier this summer, upon arriving at his dermatologist’s office, bioethicist Arthur Schafer was asked if he consented to the use of an AI scribe during his appointment.

Patients have the right to opt out, but the founding director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba said he gave it.

“A lot of people will initially feel some unease… because there is a certain amount of technophobia, a certain amount of anxiety about artificial intelligence, generally,” Schafer said.

He recalled there was also initial skepticism when doctors transitioned from pen-and-paper to digital record-keeping.

That pivot has ultimately proven beneficial for patients and health-care professionals alike, Schafer said, noting that poor penmanship caused serious accuracy and communication problems.

Infoway’s stakeholder consultations found that early adopters of AI scribes were often unsure about how their data was being used or where it was stored.

Kalra said the absence of formal guidance for the sector and related privacy concerns prompted his team to do a deep dive.

Infoway has purchased 10,000 one-year licences from nine “pre-qualified vendors” that are headquartered in Canada. They were evaluated on their respective cybersecurity practices and how they support secure data-sharing, among other things.

Schafer said he’s optimistic that there is a pilot to assess the benefits and drawbacks of AI tools, and that it’s being run by a not-for-profit.

While noting “the stakes are high” when it comes to protecting confidential health information, he said AI tools have immense potential.

The bioethicist added: “If we can have the right kinds of safeguards and controls then, potentially, family doctors — of which we have a great shortage in Canada — will be able to see many more patients.”

Doctors Manitoba members who were using AI scribes this winter reported the technology helped them save four to six hours of note-taking per week.

This story was originally published in The Free Press. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.