How Could AI Note-Taking Affect Locum Doctors in Australia?
TL;DR: AI-powered ambient scribes, tools that listen to a consultation and automatically generate clinical notes, are entering Australian general practice. Globally, the evidence suggests significant time savings and reduced burnout. In Australia, we are still early: there is no population-level data yet on uptake or outcomes, and regulatory obligations around AI in consultations have only recently been clarified by AHPRA. For locum doctors, this technology could meaningfully change how efficiently you move between roles, but there are real questions about consent, data, and continuity of care.
- Market: at least 60 AI ambient-scribe vendors operate as of early 2025
- Burnout: dropped from 51.9% to 38.8% after 30 days of ambient AI scribe use (263-physician study)
- Australia: no population-level data yet on AI-scribe use in general practice (MJA InSight+, 2025)
Sources: 5 cited below ↓
What Is AI Note-Taking, and Why Does It Matter for Locums?
Ambient AI scribing tools listen to a clinical consultation in real time, transcribe the conversation, and generate a structured clinical note, often formatted for direct entry into an electronic health record. As of early 2025, at least 60 AI vendors operate in the ambient medical scribing market, offering applications that capture visit audio and automatically synthesise clinical documentation.
The appeal for locum doctors is specific. Because locums move between practices, often unfamiliar with local documentation styles, templates, or clinical systems, note-writing tends to be slower and more cognitively demanding than for established practitioners. Any technology that reduces that administrative friction while maintaining documentation quality has obvious appeal.
Globally, the evidence on time savings is encouraging. International research indicates that ambient AI scribes are associated with reduced clinician burnout, lower cognitive task load, and significant time savings in documentation, particularly for after-hours electronic health record work. One quality improvement study of 263 physicians across six health systems found that burnout among ambulatory clinic practitioners decreased from 51.9% to 38.8% (burnout study) after just 30 days of using an ambient AI scribe. Another frequently cited benefit is improved patient–doctor engagement, with physicians reporting feeling more present in the consultation when not simultaneously typing notes.
Locum-specific benefit: For locum doctors, the cognitive demand of unfamiliar documentation systems is a real friction point. AI scribes that generate notes in a standardised format, regardless of which practice's EHR system is in use, could reduce the ramp-up time at each new placement.
The Australian Picture: Cautious and Evidence-Light
Despite the international evidence, Australia's own data on AI scribing in general practice is thin. The MJA InSight+ published a perspective in 2025 noting directly that "we don't yet have population-level data on the use of AI scribes in general practice in Australia."
The article, authored by Dr Elizabeth Deveny, raises concerns that are particularly relevant for locum doctors:
- Some patients report feeling "less seen" during AI-scribed consultations, where the usual pauses for thought are eliminated
- AI scribing may create barriers for patients with auditory processing difficulties or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- There is a risk that AI-generated notes, reviewed and signed off quickly, may contribute to reduced continuity of care, with patients noting that their GP "seems to forget more of what we talked about"
For locum doctors, who already face continuity-of-care challenges because they are not the patient's regular practitioner, this last point deserves particular attention. A clinical note that captures the words of a consultation but not the clinical reasoning can undermine handover quality.
The Australian Medical Association has been clear on the principle: "the final decision on patient care should always be made by a human." This applies whether a locum is using an AI scribe, an AI diagnostic tool, or any other decision-support technology.
Australian-built ambient scribes now sit alongside the international vendors. Two developed locally and used across Australian and New Zealand general practice are Heidi Health and Lyrebird Health:
| Tool | Built in | What it does | Knowledge-layer add-on |
|---|
| Heidi Health | Australia | Ambient scribe, drafts a structured clinical note from the consultation audio | Heidi Evidence, analyses the consult summary to surface recommendations |
| Lyrebird Health | Australia | Ambient scribe, generates notes from the recorded consultation | MedLuma, an Australian evidence base developed with Medcast |
Other products, including Medow Health, also operate locally, and several US-built tools are used here too. This is a fast-moving market, confirm a tool's current features and data-handling directly with the vendor rather than relying on any single comparison. Uptake is rising quickly: a May 2026 survey of 1,535 GPs found 18.7% personally use an AI scribe, while RACGP polling over the same period rose from 22% (August 2024) to 40% (November 2025), and 37.3% of users rely on a scribe in 80–100% of consultations.
For locums, one figure matters more than adoption: that same May 2026 survey found only 25% of practices have an AI governance policy, meaning at roughly three in four practices there is no written rule on consent, data handling, or note review. Confirm the local policy (or its absence) before you use any scribe on a placement.
AHPRA's Obligations for AI Use in Consultations
In October 2025, AHPRA updated its guidance for practitioners providing virtual care, explicitly addressing AI tools and chatbots in clinical settings. Key obligations relevant to AI scribing include:
- Practitioners must ensure patients are informed that AI tools are being used in their consultation
- Where an AI tool is generating clinical content (including notes), patients should understand the role of that technology and its limitations
- The practitioner bears responsibility for the accuracy of any AI-generated documentation before it enters the clinical record
These obligations apply to locum doctors just as much as to permanent practitioners. If a locum is using an AI scribe, they need to:
- Check whether the practice has a policy on AI tool use and patient consent
- Inform patients before the consultation that an AI tool will be listening and transcribing
- Review and edit the AI-generated note before finalising it in the record
- Ensure patient data handled by the AI tool is subject to appropriate privacy protections under the Privacy Act 1988
Consent: Patient consent for AI scribing is not yet mandated by a uniform national standard, but AHPRA's updated virtual care guidance makes clear that transparency with patients about AI tool use is a practitioner obligation. Get consent before you start recording, not after.
Practical Considerations for Locum Doctors
If you are working at a practice that uses, or wants you to use, an AI scribe:
- Ask about the tool's data storage and privacy arrangements. Who hosts the data? Is it stored in Australia? Is it covered by the Australian Privacy Principles?
- Check the practice's consent workflow. Is there a written consent process for patients, or is consent verbal?
- Allocate review time. AI-generated notes are drafts, not final clinical records. Build time into your schedule to review and correct before sign-off.
- Document your own reasoning. AI scribes capture what is said, not always why clinical decisions were made. Add your reasoning and differential diagnosis manually where relevant.
