Insights from our AI Scribe Burdens Pilot in British Columbia – and an invitation to share your perspective

Across Canada, conversations about AI in healthcare are moving fast, but meaningful change starts on the ground.

That’s why Amplify Care, in collaboration with Doctors of BC, led an evaluation of AI scribes in British Columbia, with oversight from Canada Health Infoway. Our goal? To understand how these tools perform in real clinical settings and to ensure that the technology being introduced into primary care is actually working for those who need it most: clinicians and their patients.

The AI Scribe Burdens Pilot explored whether AI tools that automatically generate clinical notes from physician-patient conversations could help reduce the rising administrative workload in primary care. But beyond the numbers, the pilot focused on something critical: listening to the clinicians themselves.

Why Clinician Voices Matter in AI Innovation

While AI is often discussed as a silver bullet for healthcare inefficiencies, this pilot recognized a truth that’s easy to overlook: new tools only succeed when they meet the needs of real users, in real practice environments.

Over a period of six weeks, family physicians and specialists in B.C. tested three different AI scribes, using them across more than 7,000 appointments. The findings were compelling:

• Real time savings: Family physicians reported an average of 3.4 minutes saved per appointment, totaling 2.7 hours saved per week, most of it reclaimed outside clinic hours.
• Support across appointment types: Time savings were observed in both simple and complex visits, including virtual and intake appointments.
• Integration matters: Physicians using EMR-integrated Scribes experienced greater efficiencies than those using standalone tools.
• Burnout relief: Several physicians called the tools “practice changing” and noted a stronger sense of connection with their patients.

Honest Feedback Fuels Better Technology

Clinicians didn’t just evaluate whether AI Scribes could help – they told us how they help, when they don’t, and what needs to change:

• Many reported accurate documentation, but also noted errors (“hallucinations”) that required careful review.
• Some expressed hesitance to stop manual note-taking due to concerns over reliability.
• Change management support and hands-on learning made a real difference in adoption.
• Participants spent about 7 hours in total learning and tailoring the tools, a modest investment given the time saved each week.

Importantly, the evaluation showed that clinician collaboration is key to refining these tools. Their real-world feedback drives technical improvements, shapes training approaches, and ensures AI tools are a support, not a burden.

What This Means for the Future

By working directly with physicians and with guidance from national and provincial partners, this evaluation highlights Amplify Care’s commitment to thoughtful, evidence-informed digital health innovation. As AI technologies evolve, Canada needs clinical voices at the center of design, testing, and implementation.

Questions? Please reach out to evaluations@amplifycare.com.