AI technology that listens to and transcribes patient consultations with doctors may put patients at risk by incorrectly recording drug names and illnesses, an NHS watchdog has warned. Healthwatch England has highlighted cases where patients identified errors that were not caught by healthcare professionals.
In one instance, an AI scribe's summary wrongly stated a woman had demyelination, a serious nerve condition. The error was only corrected after the patient, an NHS health professional, questioned the record of her MRI scan. Another case involved an AI scribe confusing a prescribed drug with a different one of a similar name, an error also identified by the patient.
Healthwatch, the statutory NHS patient champion, has received multiple reports from patients who have noticed these inaccuracies when health professionals have not. These errors could remain in medical records and potentially affect patient care if not detected.
The government's 10-year health plan for the NHS in England anticipates AI scribes will reduce administrative burdens, freeing up staff time. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has decided not to classify AI scribes as medical devices, meaning there is no England-wide oversight to ensure their safety and effectiveness.