The Benefits of Your Vet Using AI Scribing and What Questions to Ask

When you visit your veterinarian, every detail matters, from your pet’s symptoms to their behavior and getting answers to your questions. But taking accurate notes during the appointment can be challenging for you and for your veterinary team. That’s where your vet using AI scribing comes in. As clinics look for ways to improve patient care and streamline their workflows, many are exploring how to incorporate AI tools that can support (not replace) the human element.

If you have wondered what AI scribing in veterinary care might mean, this article will help you understand the benefits, what to expect during your appointment, and what to ask your veterinarian.

The Function of AI Scribing in Veterinary Care

You might be familiar with using a voice-to-text app, like talking to Siri or Alexa when you are speaking a text. When we talk about AI scribing in veterinary care, we’re referring to much more than a simple tool to put your spoken words into written words. These tools use the power of artificial intelligence to assist your veterinary team by turning the conversation into structured medical notes that can provide more concise summaries alongside the full audio files.

This means that rather than spending time manually typing up records during or after appointments, your veterinary team may use a tablet or device to capture the discussion. Then, they allow the AI scribing tool to draft the notes. Those notes can be read by the veterinarian, ensuring accuracy and approval as the primary decision-maker of your pet’s recommended care.

Most importantly, AI-assisted veterinary notes do not replace human expertise. They should enhance the process of creating and delivering the notes. Your veterinarian remains in full control of the information and the clinical decisions being made.

What this feels like to you as the pet parent is having your veterinarian’s full attention during the meeting, allowing for a more fluid conversation. Your veterinary team can just listen and respond, and not worry about needing to capture every detail in the notes.

Benefits of AI Scribing for Veterinary Professionals and Practices

More engaging conversations are not the only how AI helps veterinarians. With patient care being a top priority for every AAHA-accredited veterinary clinic, these additional benefits help them achieve that goal:

• More comprehensive notes. Allowing AI to assist your veterinary team means capturing your full discussion, not just the highlights.
• Improving medical records. With a full transcript from an AI scribing tool, your pet’s medical records will have the little details, all exam findings, and the full care plan ready to be reviewed and referred to without anyone needing to pick up a pen or punch a keyboard.
• Better efficiency. Redirecting the time spent on capturing notes and inputting the summary of them to patient care helps your appointment time feel more efficient. Plus, clear notes improve communication between you and your veterinarian, and among your veterinary team as a whole. This creates a more collaborative flow between everyone and better overall efficiency with your pet’s care.
• Boosting wellbeing. Using AI to positively benefit veterinary teams has recently been discussed by Phil Richmond, DVM, during an interview about AI’s effects on wellbeing in veterinary practices. He said, “Negative outcomes are a horrible thing for us. Self-criticism is a huge driver of burnout.” With AI tools helping to document every detail, your veterinarian’s confidence in diagnosis and your confidence in the pet care plan you are given both improve.

When we take our pets to the veterinarian, whether it’s an annual wellness checkup or a more urgent concern, we want our appointment to be the only thing that matters. AI-assisted veterinary notes offer both pet parents and veterinarians the time to have the important conversation and all the accurate documentation.

How AI Scribing Improves Your Pet’s Care

The most meaningful outcome of every veterinary appointment is feeling heard and your pet receiving the best care possible. When a veterinarian uses AI scribing to support the appointment, you, as the pet parent, may experience:

• Personalized treatment. Better records mean easier access to the medical history of your pet. Over time, these complete records will help your vet tailor care to your specific pet. Maybe you tried a medication once that didn’t work. That will be easy to find and move on from without needing to reopen a new discussion.
• More engaging appointments. The action of writing or typing takes time and attention. With your veterinary team able to forego those actions, the attention can be solely where it should be: on your pet and what information you have to share.
• Clearer communication. Vets who use AI scribing can support more consistent and detailed follow-ups, especially when they are communicating treatment plans or test results. The accurate and complete notes also equip the whole veterinary team to be a part of the clear communication.

What Pet Parents Can Expect When a Vet is Using AI Scribing

As a pet parent who walks into an exam room, your experience during your vet visits may include small changes when your veterinarian uses AI scribing. Most noticeably:

• There will be a device, usually a tablet, but it could be a laptop with a microphone.
• Your veterinarian should inform you and ask for your consent to use the tool.
• Your vet may repeat certain details to document sections or to summarize what you said to ensure the AI scribe captures the information properly.
• More eye contact and better conversation.

These new aspects to your experience at the vet should not change how you engage with your veterinarian. You should still ask all the questions you want to ask, share all your concerns about behaviors or symptoms, and still expect your pet to get the best care and attention.

AI scribing tools only listen. There should not be a video recording aspect. If you have any concerns about privacy, don’t hesitate to ask any questions to ensure you have a clear understanding of how vets use AI scribing in their practice.

Key Questions to Ask Your Veterinarian About AI Scribing

If your veterinary practice is using or plans to use AI scribing, it’s natural to have some questions and to seek a better understanding of how it affects your pet’s care. Here are some questions you should consider asking:

• What AI scribing tool are you using?
• How does that tool work?
• Is my information stored securely?
• Is my data used in other ways?
• Do you review the notes and approve them yourself?
• Can I get a copy of my notes?
• Does this change anything about how my appointment is handled?
• How does this help improve communication with me as the pet parent?
• Does anyone other than my veterinary team have access to this information?

These questions may spark new questions. You should feel encouraged to ask as many clarifying questions as you need to feel comfortable with the new system. This is not just about the new technology, but also about trust, transparency, and being an advocate for your pet.

As veterinary practices embrace new tools to improve patient care, AI scribing is one innovation that can make a real difference for both you and your veterinary team. By improving communication, enhancing medical documentation, and refocusing your veterinarian’s time to center around your pet, AI scribing supports all aspects of your veterinary care.

Is it time for your pet’s annual wellness exam? Be sure to inquire about whether or not your AAHA-accredited veterinary practice is utilizing AI scribing in their patient care services. And if not, ask them if they plan to begin in the near future.