Oracle is making its Health Clinical AI Agent available to NHS trust and private practices. The note-taking software has been piloted at a number of hospital trusts in the UK, including Barts Health NHS Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, all of whom have now decided to deploy the technology more broadly.
In January, NHS England published a self-certified registry for AI note-taking technology, which requires suppliers to comply with standards on clinical safety, technology and data protection.
At the time, it urged NHS organisations in England to take advantage of the 19 suppliers that have registered, offering ambient voice technologies, which, according to NHS England, have the potential to save clinicians up to two or three minutes for each patient consultation, freeing up more time for them to see other patients. However, the Oracle software does not seem to be listed on NHS England’s Ambient Voice Technology Self-Certified Supplier Registry.
Oracle says Clinical Note automatically drafts structured notes from patient-clinician interactions. As the clinicians who took part in the pilot explain, this means they only have to review and approve the notes, which reduces the administrative work, enabling clinicians to focus on the patient during a visit.
Discussing the pilot, Robin Kearney, consultant in acute medicine at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said: “As a user of the Clinical AI Agent, it’s been really fantastic. It’s improved the accuracy of my notes and given me a lot of time back. Now, when I see a patient, I can spend all my time focusing on them. I can complete my letter and give it to the patient before they even leave the department a few minutes later – plus, if another clinician sees the patient, they can write a note immediately so everyone else in the team will know within a few minutes what the plan is for the patient. That’s allowing that patient to get joined-up care. That was really difficult before.”
Another pilot user, Sanjay Gautama, chief clinical information officer and Caldicott guardian for Imperial College Healthcare Trust NHS and North West London Integrated Care Board, said the pilot demonstrates the power ambient voice technology can bring to the NHS. “It is beneficial for both patient and clinician experiences,” he said. “Our clinicians can focus on engaging with the patient, knowing that comprehensive and robust notes will be taken. These notes are then available for clinical staff to review, approve, and action appropriate follow-up care.”
Sarah Jensen, group chief informatics officer at Barts Health NHS Trust, added: “They just need to download the app on their phone, place it near the patient to record the conversation, and this is processed in the trust system to strip out any chat that is not relevant to diagnosis or treatment.”
Class I medical device
While it is not yet listed on NHS England’s Ambient Voice Technology Self-Certified Supplier Registry, Oracle said Clinical Note is UKCA self-certified as a Class I medical device.
An Oracle spokesperson said: “The Ambient Voice Technology register has recently reopened, and Oracle is preparing its submission. Oracle Health Clinical AI Agent, Clinical Note is already used safely and effectively by hundreds of customers in the US and will help the NHS deliver exceptional care.”
