AI Scribes in General Practice: What it Means for Your Family’s Care in Carina
What is an AI Scribe?
Documentation or clinical notes are an essential part of healthcare. An AI scribe is a tool that can automate parts of the clinical documentation process for a medical practitioner. It transcribes the conversation and summarises key clinical information into the patient’s health record.
Think of the AI scribe like an intelligent, confidential digital assistant—it drafts, but your GP always reviews and signs the final document. Here at the Practice at Clem Jones Centre, our GPs use Lyrebird or Heidi, which are designed with features for safety, privacy, and clinician oversight.
AI Scribes Are Becoming Commonplace in Healthcare
AI scribes are now across Australian healthcare. You’ll find them in hospitals, helping doctors and nurses in different settings. They’re being adopted in private GP clinics, like ours, to take pressure off note-taking. Allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists and psychologists, are also starting to use AI scribes.
So why the rapid uptake? Healthcare is becoming busier and more complex, and clinicians everywhere are struggling with paperwork. An AI scribe helps record and summarise consultations in real time.
Studies have reported that AI scribes have reduced the time taken to document consultations by up to 40%. This means more quality face-to-face time during your consult. Instead of typing, your GP can be fully present, discuss complex family health issues, and move through administrative tasks faster.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has recognised this shift. In its position statements, the RACGP notes that while AI tools, such as scribes, can increase efficiency and support care, they must always be used with informed consent, strict privacy protections, and GP oversight. In other words: they’re here to help — but your doctor still makes the final call.
Why our Carina GPs Use AI Scribes — The Patient Benefits
At The Practice at Clem Jones Centre, we believe AI scribes can support better care when used the right way.
- More Focus on You, Less on Paperwork: Your GP can focus on what you’re saying during the consult—listening, observing, building relationships instead of splitting attention between you and typing.
- Efficiency: By automating note-taking (with us reviewing and approving the output), consults can flow more smoothly. This helps us stay on schedule, reduce GP fatigue, and ensure that follow-up work (referrals, prescriptions) is handled more quickly.
- Better Documentation for safe medical care: Detailed and accurate records help with safe medical care over time. For families, this means the notes are more comprehensive and consistent. This high-quality documentation is critical for smooth referrals to specialists. It ensures that all GPs at our practice have a complete and accurate history when caring for your children or elderly parents.
- Person-Centred Care: When the GP is less distracted by note-taking, there’s more space for you to ask questions, for shared decision making, and for explaining things in your terms.
Protecting Your Health Data: AI Scribe Privacy & Safety at our Carina Practice
We understand that your privacy of health information is vital. Here’s how we protect your data when using Lyrebird (or any AI scribe):
- We follow RACGP and Ahpra guidelines for AI scribe usage.
- All data handling adheres to strict Australian privacy laws.
- Notes are finalised after a full clinical review and sign-off by your Carina GP.
- We use software (Lyrebird/Heidi) designed with secure, encrypted Australian hosting.
- You can find more information on our privacy policy here
Transparency on AI Scribes: Understanding the Risks and Our Oversight
While there are many benefits, there are some risks and limitations. We believe in being transparent:
| Potential Issue | How We Manage It / What You Can Do |
| Errors in transcription or summary (e.g. misunderstanding words or missing important details) | The GP reviews all outputs. You’re welcome to ask for clarification or corrections anytime.
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| Privacy & data use concerns | We provide clear information about how your data is handled. You can opt out. We only work with vendors that meet security & privacy standards.
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| Over-reliance on technology can reduce the human touch | We ensure AI scribes support, not supplant, clinical judgment and personal interaction.
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| Consent and legal/ethical obligations | We follow best practice: before use, during use, you are informed and can choose. We keep updated with RACGP & AHPRA guidelines. |
Your GP Appointment when using an AI Scribe: Consent and Process
- When you arrive, we’ll let you know that we use an AI scribe.
- We’ll ask for your consent (you can say yes or no, or change your mind). If you say no, your doctor will simply take notes using traditional methods, and your consultation quality will remain our priority.
- During the consult, the scribe runs in the background and begins the draft notes.
- After the consultation, the GP reviews and finalises the notes.
- You can request access to the final notes (as always), and if anything doesn’t seem right, you can bring it up with your GP.
AI scribes are tools, but they don’t replace the human in healthcare. Used thoughtfully with safeguards, they help us save time, reduce administrative burden, stay present in the room with you, and improve continuity and quality of care.
If you have any questions about how we use AI scribes (Lyrebird or Heidi), privacy, or what rights you have, we’re happy to discuss this with you. Your comfort and trust in your care are our priority.
References
RACGP – Artificial Intelligence (AI) scribes
Ahpra – Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Is AI a ok – medicolegal considerations for General Practice
