Clinicians using AI medical scribes say the technology could play an important role in improving healthcare access for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Consultations may be conducted in a patient’s preferred language, while generating clinical documentation and patient summaries in English.
Research conducted by Akuru, the developer of the i-scribe ambient clinical documentation platform, found clinicians were using the technology during consultations conducted in many languages including Arabic, Hindi, Cantonese and French.
Patients were able to communicate more naturally and improve their understanding of care plans.
Patient letters
The thematic analysis found AI-generated patient letters and consultation summaries could also be produced in a patient’s own language, helping older patients, recent migrants and family members better understand diagnoses, treatment plans and next steps.
Clinicians interviewed for the analysis said the technology was performing almost as accurately in non-English consultations as it was in English, while also reducing the administrative burden associated with clinical documentation. Some estimated saving up to two hours a day on paperwork.
“If patients are forced to speak English, the appointment can take much longer just to get the words out,” one clinician said. “Speaking in their mother tongue changes the whole dynamic.”
The benefits could also extend beyond migrant communities, with clinicians suggesting AI-generated summaries may support patients with lower health literacy and people receiving care through rural and regional outreach services.
Equitable care
While AI scribes are often promoted as productivity tools, the clinicians interviewed said their greatest value may be in enabling more equitable and patient-centred care by improving communication and helping clinicians focus on patients rather than screens.
Clinicians said automated note-taking allowed them to maintain eye contact and focus on listening, something that is particularly important in cultures where attentive presence is closely tied to trust.
“I love that I don’t have to stare at the screen,” one doctor said. “I can actually look at the patient and connect – and everything is still recorded.”
“As one clinician put it: ‘I can now interact with and treat English and non-English speaking patients the same, which is how it should be.”
All clinician quotes were taken as direct quotes from individual interviews recorded and transcribed by Akuru’s Research Division.
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