Ambient AI Scribe Technology and Perceived Documentation Efficiency Among Surgeons: Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Clinical documentation demands a significant share of surgeons' time and can contribute to documentation-related burden and burnout. While electronic health records (EHRs) offer accessibility and completeness, they also impose a substantial documentation burden. Ambient AI scribe solutions aim to reduce this burden by capturing patient-clinician dialogue in real time to automate clinical documentation. However, their specific impact on surgical practice remains under-studied.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate surgeons' perceptions of documentation efficiency, documentation timeliness, and burnout following implementation of an ambient AI documentation tool within the EHR during outpatient clinical encounters.

Methods: We conducted a single-center cross-sectional survey of all surgical faculty members at a tertiary care academic institution 3 months after institutional implementation of the ambient AI-powered clinical documentation tool Dragon Ambient Experience (DAX) Copilot. A total of 368 faculty surgeons representing 12 surgical subspecialties were invited to participate. Participants were asked to retrospectively assess their baseline perceptions of documentation burden and subsequently report perceived changes following DAX Copilot implementation using standardized Likert-scale survey items. Descriptive analyses were performed among active DAX Copilot users. Open-ended responses were analyzed using practical thematic analysis.

Results: The survey was completed by 28.5% (105/368) of the invited surgeons, with 38.1% (40/105) of participants reporting active DAX Copilot use. Overall, 77.5% (31/40) of users reported some or significant improvement in perceived documentation efficiency. Of those who reported a negative or neutral baseline perception of documentation time, 75.8% (25/33) reported an improved perception of efficiency following implementation of the ambient AI tool, whereas 85.7% (6/7) of surgeons with positive baseline perceptions of documentation time also reported further improvement. Improvements in perceived documentation timeliness were reported by 70.4% (19/27) of surgeons who previously reported negative or neutral baseline perceptions of timeliness and 76.9% (10/13) of surgeons with positive baseline perceptions. Additionally, 72.5% (29/40) of respondents reported enhanced documentation accuracy, detail, and consistency after DAX Copilot implementation. Improvements in self-reported burnout levels were reported less frequently, with 59.0% (23/39) of respondents reporting some or significant improvement, including 63.0% (17/27) with negative or neutral baseline perceptions of burnout. Qualitative feedback highlighted perceived improvements in documentation quality while also identifying current limitations of the technology, including challenges related to EHR integration, device compatibility, and customization.

Conclusions: In this single-center survey of surgeons using DAX Copilot in their outpatient clinical practice, use of ambient AI scribe technology was associated with improved perceptions of documentation efficiency and timeliness. These findings suggest that ambient AI tools may improve surgeons' perceived documentation experience in outpatient surgical care.