Patient Safety Risks from AI Scribes: Signals from End-User Feedback

Abstract

AI scribes are transforming clinical documentation at scale. However, their real-world performance remains understudied, especially regarding their impacts on patient safety. To this end, we initiate a mixed-methods study of patient safety issues raised in feedback submitted by AI scribe users (healthcare providers) in a large U.S. hospital system. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis suggest that AI scribes may induce various patient safety risks due to errors in transcription, most significantly regarding medication and treatment; however, further study is needed to contextualize the absolute degree of risk.