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Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Dictation Improves Efficiency in a Regional General Surgery Clinic: A
Gavin J Carmichael1,2,3, Vanessa Di Tano2,4, Chris Wright2,4
1Grampians Health, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Introduction:
Rural surgical services face increasing clinical demand and administrative burden, often exacerbated by limited workforce and support infrastructure. Artificial intelligence (AI) scribes may improve documentation efficiency, yet evidence from surgical and rural or regional outpatient settings remains scarce. The study aimed to determine whether AI-assisted documentation could reduce total documentation time relative to traditional dictation methods.
Methods:
A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted in a private colorectal and general surgery clinic in regional Victoria. Consecutive consultations were documented either using traditional dictation with human transcription or AI-assisted scribing (Lyrebird Health) according to an alternating-day schedule. Total clinician-facing documentation time, consultation duration and type (initial vs. review) were recorded by an observer. Group comparisons used non-parametric tests, and a multiple linear regression model adjusted for consultation duration and type.
Results:
A total of 119 consultations were analysed (60 traditional, 59 AI-assisted). Median documentation time was significantly shorter with AI assistance (0.71 [0.37-1.10] min) compared with traditional dictation (2.28 [1.94-2.78] min; p < 0.001). Regression analysis confirmed that AI-assisted documentation was associated with a mean reduction of 1.35 min in documentation time (β = -1.35; 95% CI -1.75 to -0.95; p < 0.001), independent of consultation duration or type. Consultation duration did not differ significantly between methods (p = 0.59).
Conclusion:
In this pilot proof-of-concept study, AI-assisted documentation was associated with shorter clinician-facing documentation time in one regional surgical outpatient practice without prolonging consultation duration. These findings support further evaluation of AI scribes in surgical settings, but broader assessment of documentation quality, cost, governance, and downstream workforce effects is required before wider implementation.
