Physical therapy practices and solo practitioners have been working to keep up with rising patient care expectations and standards. However, they are continuously challenged by one constant: patient documentation.
Fortunately, AI solutions have been evolving, and the physiotherapy space is one of many industries benefitting from their growth. AI SOAP note tools, for example, have been transforming many clinical workflows, allowing providers to engage with their patients more without compromising their note quality.
With that said, is AI taking over writing SOAP notes for physical therapy? Short answer: yes. Long answer: read more about it below.
How AI Is Taking Over SOAP Notes (And Why It’s A Good Thing)
52.44% of physicians reported experiencing burnout due to excessive documentation.
(athenahealth)
Excessive medical documentation is one of the leading causes of stress and burnout. However, the advent of artificial intelligence has introduced compelling prospects of not only alleviating documentation time but also improving the patient care experience altogether.
In fact, using AI for physical therapy SOAP notes is no longer simply a nice-to-have but a must.
Here are three reasons why:
1. Patients Start To Feel Disconnected With Their Providers
A joint study by Harris Poll and the American Academy of Physician Associates on the patient experience found that 64% of patients wish their providers took more time listening and understanding them.
Traditional note-taking methods force providers to divide their attention between patients and taking notes. This is compounded by the constant pressure on providers to complete their documentation on time, making appointments feel rushed. Consequently, patients feel disconnected from their providers, which can affect patient satisfaction, as proven by a 2012 meta-analysis of studies on physician-patient relationships.
An AI SOAP note tool can not only record the patient encounter and collect information in the background — it generates a report that closely follows the provider’s documentation style, saving providers a significant amount of time.
2. Providers Want A More Efficient Way Of Working
A 2009 study published in the National Library of Medicine on clinical documentation time found that providers spend 26.6% of their working time on documentation tasks, versus 27.5% on direct patient care. Even with the integration of EMR systems, this trend is still increasing. A more timely 2018 study published on PubMed found that providers spend approximately 35% of their time on documentation.
Despite technological advances, providers still spend a disproportionate amount of time on documentation over patient care. This can result in low job satisfaction, provider stress, and burnout.
Fortunately, the integration of AI SOAP notes can deliver on the promises of speed and convenience perceived by digital equipment.
3. AI Usage Is Seeping Through Every Industry
A MarketsandMarkets Research report found that the market size of AI in the healthcare industry will grow from $14.5 billion to $148.4 billion — a staggering 48.4% compound annual growth rate.
This signifies a paradigm shift in how AI in healthcare has become a growing demand. Both patients and providers will expect AI to become part of the healthcare service experience.
Providers of medium to large-sized practices, especially, would want executives or stakeholders to consider ways of integrating AI into their workflow, and AI SOAP notes are at the top of that list.
How AI SOAP Notes Can Help You
Many concerns arise regarding the accuracy, reliability, and safety of AI SOAP notes, especially about healthcare regulations.
Fortunately, tools such as ScribePT address many of these concerns, ensuring you’ll benefit tremendously from the notes it generates.
On top of that, here are ways AI SOAP notes can help you.
- Save a significant amount of time. AI-generated SOAP notes give providers a substantial headstart on their documentation, ensuring a smooth workflow while keeping track of patient progress.
- Engage with your patient more. AI SOAP note generator tools allow providers to engage with their patients more without worrying about their notes.
- Ensure note quality and consistency. AI notes are generated with natural language processing (NLP) algorithms that can mirror a provider’s documentation style from previous reports.
- Maintain compliance with healthcare regulations. Tools like ScribePT are designed to comply with HIPAA and other healthcare policies, ensuring peace of mind for both providers and the practice/organization itself.
Which Scribe AI Documentation Tool Should You Choose?
Before choosing which tool to use for your AI SOAP notes, it’s essential to vet each option based on criteria that match your needs.
Some examples of criteria include:
- Speed - The AI scribe tool must be able to match the pacing of your workflow.
- Convenience - Navigating and using the AI scribe tool daily should be smooth and easy.
- Interoperability - The tool must also seamlessly work side-by-side with any of your existing equipment (e.g., EMR). A tool like ScribePT, for example, enables providers to transfer data to their EMR in one click.
- Compliance - The tool must be designed with patient data privacy in mind and comply with healthcare regulations.
- Support - The AI scribe tool developers should always be available to help you make the most out of the tool, especially in relation to your other equipment.
AI Scribes Are The Future Of Medical Documentation
For physical therapists, the future is bright not only for medical documentation but also for patient care as a whole. As scribe AI documentation solutions continue to evolve, so do patient expectations, however. Thus, you have to stay on your toes and be on the lookout for the best AI scribe that’s right for your practice.
ScribePT is the leading AI documentation tool for physical therapy. Learn how you can save 40+ hours per month with our truly PT-focused AI scribe solution!
