Ambient scribes

Research on the current state and impact of ambient scribes and methods for evaluating them.

Informed Consent for Ambient Documentation Using Generative AI in Ambulatory Care

Lawrence K, Kuram VS, Levine DL, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jul;8(7):e2522400.

The authors conducted a quality improvement study on clinician and patient ambient documentation pilot users to understand informed consent processes and challenges related to ambient documentation technology. When patients were informed about basics of the technology, 81.6% consented but that number dropped to 55.3% when informed about its use of AI, data storage and corporate involvement. Clinicians and patients both expressed concerns about data storage and access when using the tool. Most patients indicated the need for a clear opt-out option and information about the use of their data, which highlights the need for an improved consent process for ambient documentation tools.

Evaluation of an Ambient Artificial Intelligence Documentation Platform for Clinicians

Stults CD, Deng S, Martinez MC, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 May;8(5):e258614.

This paper describes the results of a quality improvement study conducted to analyze clinician experience before and after implementing ambient AI. Approximately 42.1% expressed a small decrease in burnout after using ambient AI. However, this change was not significant. The results showed a significant decrease in documentation time from 6.2 minutes to 5.3 minutes per appointment. Based on open-ended survey questions, clinicians noted that it reduced the general burden of documentation but they also indicated challenges like the lack of customization of notes and the absence of direct dictation.