Tend Scribe, an innovative AI tool developed in-house by Tend Health, has transformed the consultation process, enhancing clinician productivity and patient experience.
Tend Health, a healthcare technology company, has reported substantial advancements in patient care and clinician productivity through the use of its in-house developed AI tool, Tend Scribe. This innovative solution has been employed in over 20,000 consultations, marking a significant milestone since its initial launch in April 2024 with Tend’s Online Now service.
Tend Scribe is specifically designed to draft clinical notes and patient instructions after consultations. It operates by listening to the interactions between clinicians and patients, generating detailed draft notes that clinicians can review and finalise. These notes are then transmitted to patients within minutes, streamlining the post-consultation process considerably.
The development of Tend Scribe is entirely attributed to Tend’s own product team and clinicians, avoiding reliance on third-party solutions. Josh Robb, Tend’s Chief Operating Officer, noted the advantages of this in-house approach: “There are off-the-shelf tools for this, but we designed and built Tend Scribe ourselves to enable strong clinical governance, control the quality of the data and ensure it fits seamlessly into our tech platform.” He further emphasized the importance of data control, stating, “By building it in-house, we have more control over the data it generates, ensuring high-quality, comprehensive notes that improve both the clinician and patient experience.”
The integration of Tend Scribe with existing systems, such as the patient management system Indici and the internal platform Tender, has played a vital role in its adoption. Clinicians can now focus more on patient engagement during appointments, resulting in an estimated 30 percent increase in productivity for online consultations. Currently, approximately 65 percent of consultations conducted in-clinic utilise the AI tool, with about 72 percent of general practitioners at Tend opting to employ it in their practice.
Several clinicians have voiced their positive experiences with Tend Scribe. Dr. Sally McLaren, a general practitioner at Tend, originally expressed scepticism about the AI tool but now fully endorses it. She stated, “At first, I was a bit dubious, but now I absolutely love it. I can really sit and listen to my patients, and it saves me so much time and stress.” Similarly, Dr. Mary Hung praised the tool for its efficiency, noting, “Tend Scribe has made a positive difference in the time saved from not having to type up notes. It also allows me to focus more on my patients during the consultation.”
The introduction of structured notes provided by Tend Scribe is designed to enhance continuity of care, particularly within team-based settings. Graham Denyer, Tend’s Chief Medical Officer, acknowledged the long-term benefits of the tool, arguing that “Tend Scribe ensures consistent, detailed, and well-structured clinical notes, enabling improved multidisciplinary care and patient safety.”
Moreover, patients are experiencing enhanced clarity regarding their care plans. A patient named Sarah described her satisfaction with the service: “Right after my appointment, simple and clear notes popped up in my app—no confusing shorthand or acronyms, just easy-to-read details of our discussion and a reassuring action plan that made me feel truly heard.”
Denyer further reinforced the reliability of Tend Scribe, asserting that “across the 20,000 consultations completed using Tend Scribe, we can confidently report that over 99 percent achieve high scores on a validated quality assessment tool even before any edits are made by our clinicians.”
While Tend Scribe is not designed to aid in diagnostics, it significantly enhances the efficiency and quality of clinical documentation. As the technology continues to be implemented across all Tend clinics, it sets a precedent for the integration of AI-driven solutions within the healthcare sector.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.dha.org.nz/hinz-ehealthnews/tend-launches-ai-powered-medical-scribe-for-gps/ – Corroborates the launch of Tend Scribe, an AI-powered medical scribe developed by Tend, and its use in drafting clinical notes and patient instructions.
- https://fastchicken.co.nz/2024/08/09/tend-scribe/ – Details the operation of Tend Scribe, including how it transcribes audio from consultations and generates clinical notes using AI, and its integration with Tend’s tools and workflows.
- https://fastchicken.co.nz/2024/08/09/tend-scribe/ – Explains the in-house development of Tend Scribe and the benefits of this approach, including control over data quality and seamless integration with existing systems.
- https://www.playbackhealth.com/post/a-free-ai-scribe-is-there-such-a-thing – Supports the concept of AI scribes improving clinician productivity and patient satisfaction by automating note-taking and enhancing the clarity of clinical notes.
- https://www.playbackhealth.com/post/a-free-ai-scribe-is-there-such-a-thing – Describes how AI scribes, like Tend Scribe, help clinicians focus more on patient engagement and reduce the time spent on documentation.
- https://try.tend.nz/work-at-tend/ – Mentions Tend Scribe as an in-house developed AI tool that transcribes and summarizes online appointment notes, aligning with the article’s description of its functionality.
- https://fastchicken.co.nz/2024/08/09/tend-scribe/ – Provides details on the clinical benefits of Tend Scribe, including improved note quality and the ability to focus more on patient care during consultations.
- https://www.dha.org.nz/hinz-ehealthnews/tend-launches-ai-powered-medical-scribe-for-gps/ – Reports on the positive impact of Tend Scribe on appointment efficiency and patient satisfaction, as noted by Tend’s chief medical officer.
- https://fastchicken.co.nz/2024/08/09/tend-scribe/ – Highlights the structured note format provided by Tend Scribe, which enhances continuity of care and multidisciplinary collaboration.
- https://www.playbackhealth.com/post/a-free-ai-scribe-is-there-such-a-thing – Corroborates the enhanced clarity of care plans for patients through the use of AI scribes like Tend Scribe, making notes more readable and understandable.
- https://fastchicken.co.nz/2024/08/09/tend-scribe/ – Supports the reliability and accuracy of Tend Scribe, noting that it has been well-received by clinicians and has improved the efficiency of clinical documentation.
