For information and education only. This article does not replace advice from your healthcare team. Do not change treatment or delay care because of an AI response. Read our full disclaimer.
Your clinician may ask to use a tool that listens during an appointment and drafts the notes. That tool is often called an AI scribe. It can reduce typing, but a fluent summary is still a draft that needs professional review.
For patients, the useful questions are straightforward: what is being captured, who checks it, and what can you do if the record is wrong?
Understand what the tool is doing
An ambient scribe processes the appointment conversation and produces documentation. A transcript attempts to capture speech; a visit summary selects and organizes parts of it. Neither should be assumed to contain every detail you said.
As one concrete example, Jubilee Street Practice’s published pilot information describes asking patients before using its scribe and having clinicians review the draft before saving it. That practice also describes an option to decline or pause. These are that practice’s arrangements; ask what applies at yours.
Do not assume a scribe is diagnosing you, or that its use means your clinician has stopped taking responsibility for the visit. Ask whether any additional features suggest diagnoses, codes, or treatment, and how those suggestions are checked.
Ask a few questions before it starts
- What is the tool’s name, and what information will it capture?
- Are audio, transcripts, or summaries retained, and for how long?
- Who can access them, including the technology supplier?
- Is any information used for model training or other purposes?
- Can I decline or pause it, and what happens if I do?
- Who reviews the final note, and how can I read it?
You do not need to memorize a technical questionnaire. Start with the point that matters most to you. Ask for the practice’s patient information if you want time to read the details.
If a caregiver, interpreter, or companion joins you, make sure the practice explains how their participation is handled too. Do not add your own recording or transcription app without checking permission and applicable rules.
Help keep the conversation clear
Explain who you are talking about when discussing a relative’s history. Correct a misunderstanding aloud when you notice it. You can ask the clinician to repeat the agreed plan in ordinary language before the visit ends.
This is especially useful if several people speak, a connection is poor, or a term is unfamiliar. Tell the team about hearing, language, or accessibility needs rather than relying on automatic transcription to solve them.
Check the final record
Ask when and where the reviewed notes will be available. If your practice offers a patient portal, look at the final document there. You are checking facts you can recognize, not expected to audit the clinician’s medical reasoning.
Pay particular attention to:
- Medicine names, doses, allergies, and changes actually discussed.
- Statements about whether you have a symptom or do not have it.
- Whether a family member’s condition has been attributed to you.
- Tests, referrals, and follow-up dates.
- Instructions about when and how to seek more help.
The WHO’s guidance on generative AI in health cautions that outputs can be false or incomplete. A polished note is not proof that the conversation was captured correctly.
Report a discrepancy clearly
Use the practice’s record-correction process. A message could say: “The note from [date] says [specific statement]. My understanding of our discussion was [what you remember]. Please check this and confirm the correct instruction.”
Keep the original wording visible when asking for clarification. If a discrepancy could affect a medicine or other time-sensitive care, contact the clinician or pharmacist promptly rather than letting a chatbot resolve it. Use urgent or emergency services when appropriate.
You can prepare for that conversation with a short appointment sheet. For broader questions about technology in your care, see how to ask your doctor about AI.
Featured photograph by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash. Photograph used for illustration.
Reviewed October 2, 2026.
AI disclosure: This article was drafted and revised using AI. Read our full disclaimer.
