The City of Lakes Family Health Team (CoLFHT) received a Bright Lights Award from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) for Investing in Digtal Health for Primary Care.
City of Lakes FHT leveraged AI scribe tools to reduce the primary care providers’ administrative burden. The catalyst to this project was the knowledge family physicians average 19 hours a week on administration, according to the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The driving force was to reduce that burden on physicians, nurse practitioners and other interprofessional healthcare providers and make better use of that time.
Throughout the pilot of AI Scribe, providers interested in participating were able to implement AI Scribe into their daily workflow. For those that were sucessful they noted an improved patient experience by freeing providers’ time for quality interactions. It also enhanced provider experience by alleviating the pressure to chart in real-time and reduced late-night notetaking, thus improving work-life balance.
The team worked closely with the AI Scribe company to adapt the tool with primary care providers’ experience and workflow in mind. That included providing feedback and advice on the best ways to chart encounters and capture data in a standardized manner. Cognizant of the need to protect patients’ privacy, they worked with a privacy lawyer on assessments and patient consent packages. Additionally, the team provided feedback on equity concerns such as accessibility for French-speaking patients.
Following the successful pilot, CoLFHT collaborated with the regional Ontario Health Team and created an opportunity for primary care providers across the region to try the AI scribe. Leveraging the FHT's leadership and experience, the OHT initiated a one-year AI scribe pilot for more than 11 primary care organizations and over 70 healthcare providers.