AI scribes and electronic medical records have not yet delivered on their promises.
If getting all the organisations representing doctors in Australia under one roof is good for one thing, it’s working out which gripes transcend specialties.
Turns out, it’s a mutual hatred of paperwork.
Earlier this week, the AMA held its annual colleges, associations and societies meeting in Canberra – an annual event which hosts representatives from more than 50 professional groups.
These groups run the gamut from the relatively small, profession-led societies like the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand to behemoth medical colleges like RACS to the Medical Board of Australia.
“Across medicine … the big, existential questions we’re asking ourselves are what is the place and role of doctors? How do we ensure quality of healthcare that moves with modern and contemporary views on regulation, on scope of practice, or on AI and technology and prevention?” meeting attendee and AMA (NSW) council chair Dr Michael Bonning told The Medical Republic.
None of these issues, he said, can be solved or advocated on in a bubble.
“We’ve got to work on these things collectively, both to get the intelligence from the ground – which is one of the values of a big meeting like this – but then on the flip side, be able to work out what are the shared principles and values that we use to articulate where we think medicine should go,” Dr Bonning said.
“And again, that’s why I think a meeting like this is pivotal to how we deliver on that across the next 12 months.”
Related
AMA council of doctors in training chair Dr Sanjay Hettige led a session on building a sustainable, supported and well-trained medical workforce.
As reported in Pulse IT this week, Dr Hettige specifically called out the growing administrative burden placed on early-career doctors.
“Interns and residents are spending more hours inputting data, navigating clunky interfaces, and coordinating tasks that should squarely sit with dedicated administrative teams,” Dr Hettige said, according to Pulse.
“If we want a sustainable workforce and a health system that uses its people wisely, we must reduce the administrative burden on doctors in training.”
Dr Bonning said the paperwork situation had “become more significant over time”.
“It’s become harder to engage in the pursuit of medicine effectively, as a doctor, and learn your craft, if a large part of your craft is just doing the paperwork,” he said.
Going one step further, Dr Bonning questioned some of the promises peddled by various health technology vendors.
“Everyone’s talking about AI in admin,” he said.
“But also, if scribing is a panacea, we certainly haven’t seen it yet.
“We haven’t seen consult lengths drop substantially in general practice. We have seen people be able to do more, for sure, and I do think that’s a real positive.”
