Accelerating AI Adoption for Reducing Administrative Burden in Primary Care: Insights from Evaluating AI Scribes

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has progressed unevenly across healthcare disciplines, even for low-risk applications aimed at easing administrative burdens. This commentary examines AI scribes as valuable tools to reduce administrative workload and improve provider well-being. A two-phase evaluation demonstrated significant reductions in documentation time and positive provider feedback, prompting provincial procurement. Highlighting the need for tailored, inclusive evaluations, we propose a structured approach to support broader AI adoption in primary care, focusing on fit-for-purpose assessments, robust simulations and diverse partnerships. This approach aims to foster equitable AI deployment across primary care settings in Canada, improving access and quality of care.