Doctors and nurse practitioners with Vitalité Health Network are getting a digital boost with a new AI tool called AutoScribe.

It’s a transcription tool aimed at reducing administrative work for healthcare providers.

The tool is now available to 130 family physicians and nurse practitioners across the Network.

It transcribes patient consultations in real time and generates structured notes that are automatically added to the electronic medical record.

Dr. Anick Pelletier, assistant vice-president of medical affairs, said the tool will help clinicians spend less time on documentation and more time engaging with patients.

“By significantly reducing the time spent on notetaking and data entry, our clinicians will be able to give their full attention to patients during consultations and focus fully on what’s most important: providing high-quality care,” Pelletier said in a statement.

Vitalite says the tool does not make care decisions and only summarizes conversations between patients and providers.

Clinicians are responsible for reviewing the notes to ensure accuracy. Patients must provide explicit consent before the tool is used.

The Network says all personal information is protected under provincial and federal privacy laws.

AutoScribe was developed by Mutuo Health Solutions and is one of several pre-qualified tools selected for Canada Health Infoway’s AI Scribe Program.

The national initiative is offering 10,000 one-year licences to eligible clinicians across the country.