The federal well being division has raised considerations about using AI scribes by docs because the well being regulator considers the necessity for safeguards across the know-how.
AI scribe instruments report, transcribe and summarise conversations between docs and sufferers for medical notes, and have boomed in reputation prior to now 18 months.
In line with a web-based ballot by the Royal Australian Faculty of Normal Practitioners (RACGP), use of AI scribes by docs in Australia almost doubled from 22% in August 2024 to 40% in November 2025.
Firms providing the know-how to practitioners say it has been used a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of occasions throughout the globe prior to now 18 months alone as docs search to ease the executive burden of affected person consultations.
The federal well being division has recognized considerations concerning the rising use of the know-how. In February 2026 Senate estimates briefing paperwork, obtained by Guardian Australia beneath freedom of knowledge legal guidelines, the division famous AI scribes “have little oversight” and raised considerations about using such instruments in healthcare settings.
Digital scribes are categorised as “medical gadgets” – and due to this fact regulated by the Therapeutic Items Act – provided that they serve a therapeutic goal.
“Anecdotally, some are marketed as outdoors regulatory levers (e.g., not a medical machine) or as privateness‑compliant, usually with restricted transparency,” the division mentioned. “Some suppliers could also be unaware their cloud platforms ship knowledge outdoors Australia, elevating dangers for affected person knowledge safety.”
The division mentioned some suppliers marketed a 30% income improve for well being professionals with no extra hours or affected person consultations, “which has implications for [Medicare Benefits Scheme] prices”.
In an April briefing doc from the division’s AI advisory group, it was famous that AI scribes may enhance clinicians’ productiveness and doubtlessly scale back their burnout, however have been topic to the identical limitations as different giant language fashions when it comes to high quality and accuracy.
“This has implications for affected person security, medical accountability, and the integrity of knowledge held inside nationwide digital well being infrastructure.”
The division additionally famous there was a big variation in how clinicians and practices obtained consent from sufferers for using the scribes.
“Our place is that knowledgeable consent requires customers to grasp the advantages and limitations of the know-how to which they’re consenting.”
Dr Elizabeth Deveny, the chief govt of the Shopper Well being Discussion board, mentioned the paperwork confirmed customers and the federal government have been elevating the identical questions concerning the know-how.
“It’s good that the division has recognized these as key points. The subsequent query is basically whether or not the present safeguards are sturdy sufficient and constant sufficient in day-to-day apply,” she mentioned.
after e-newsletter promotion
“If [scribes] save clinicians time … the general public deserves to know if that point means higher care, higher entry, or if it simply means extra billable exercise, which doesn’t assist us with the burnout situation.”
Guardian Australia has beforehand reported considerations from sufferers about docs not in search of enough consent when utilizing the AI instruments. In Melbourne, one psychiatrist refused to simply accept sufferers who wouldn’t consent to make use of of an AI scribe.
Deveny mentioned the discussion board was more and more listening to from sufferers who had been advised they would wish to discover a completely different supplier if they didn’t give consent for using AI scribes.
In Australia, the oversight of AI scribes is dealt with by a patchwork of regulators, together with the Therapeutic Items Administration, Australian Well being Practitioner Regulation Company (Ahpra) and the Workplace of the Australian Data Commissioner.
The TGA has been endeavor a assessment of digital scribes in Australia, partly to find out whether or not they need to be classed as medical gadgets and topic to oversight, with the report due in coming months, a spokesperson for the well being division mentioned.
“The TGA is working with business associations and particular person firms to make sure regulatory necessities are understood, and we plan to publish a abstract of the outcomes from the assessment in coming months,” the spokesperson mentioned.
The privateness commissioner, Carly Type, mentioned in a speech in Might that her workplace had been “monitoring carefully” the rollout of AI scribe know-how, assembly with the RACGP ethics committee and scribe know-how suppliers.
“We proceed to have interaction with civil society organisations involved concerning the rollout of scribes, the deficiencies in GPs’ implementation of AI scribe consent protocols, and the absence of disclosure round scribes in privateness insurance policies,” she mentioned.
