Patients weigh in on AI scribes

The American Medical Association found that 66% of U.S. physicians were using some form of AI in their practice by 2024, up from 38% the year before. A January 2025 Medical Group Management Association poll found that AI tools are now the top technology priority for health care organizations, with 32% ranking them first.

Early adopters report reduced documentation time, the ability to focus on the patient, improved diagnosis and accurate coding, and perhaps reduced physician burnout. The next consideration is patient satisfaction with these tools, and whether they feel informed about what’s being recorded.

What the Early Data Shows About Patient Reactions

Research from organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, The Permanente Medical Group, Mass General Brigham, and Stanford Health Care has consistently reported high patient satisfaction with ambient AI.

Human scribes manually document encounters in real time and, in randomized trials, are more than 4 times as likely to produce notes that doctors rate as accurate compared with standard self-documentation. Automated speech-recognition dictation systems generally have higher error rates, typically 7% to 11%, owing to the complexity of medical jargon and accent variability. Modern ambient AI scribes report lower overall error rates, about 1% to 3%, but introduce distinct failure modes such as AI hallucinations, critical omissions, misattribution, and contextual misinterpretations.

Timing and Transparency Matter to Patients

When asked about the best time during their care experience to be informed that a digital tool would be taking notes, patients strongly favored early notification. Most, 57%, preferred face-to-face notification, while many, 45%, accepted email notification. A survey conducted by UC Davis Health provided guidance on communicating the transition to AI scribe, incorporating multiple educational touchpoints to secure buy-in and prioritizing face-to-face discussions.

One important takeaway from that work was that it was necessary to educate patients about what the system could and could not do. To ensure complete accuracy, the clinician checks and edits the notes before they are placed into the EMR.

Patients can also review and advise their clinicians on possible corrections.

If a patient is not comfortable with the system, they can opt out entirely.

The advice of early adopters includes being transparent about what the AI does and doesn’t do, highlighting privacy protections like HIPAA compliance and data security, focusing on how it benefits the patient directly, and offering choice so people can opt out if they’re uncomfortable.

Suggested Scripts for the Exam Room

One suggested script keeps it simple and reassuring: “During your visit, I’ll be using a secure AI assistant to help take notes so I can focus fully on you. This tool only records medical details we discuss, and your information is kept private and protected.” Another emphasizes benefits for the patient: “I use an AI scribe to document our conversation in real time. This means I can spend more time listening to you and less time typing, while still keeping accurate records for your care.”

A third invites questions and allows patients to be in control.

“I use a secure AI tool to help with notetaking. It doesn’t replace me. It just helps me keep thorough records. If you’d like, I can explain exactly how it works or turn it off at any time.”