A “creepy” plan to have AI listen to patients’ private NHS medical appointments has sparked outrage from patient privacy and safety campaigners.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the plan, which will see AI automatically generate notes while listening to patients’ and doctors’ conversations, will increase productivity by making doctors see more patients and fewer computer screens.
However, the announcement raised “huge concerns” about the security of patient data and the risk of harm if people become too nervous or embarrassed to share personal data while the show is being recorded.
Some are concerned that the notes may be inaccurate, a problem highlighted by an AI tasked with transcribing Ms Atkins’ speech announcing the plan, wrongly recording that she was referring to “Chris Whitty”, England’s chief medical officer, as “Christmas”.
His announcement yesterday followed that of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who revealed a £3.4bn investment in NHS IT to boost productivity.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the plans will reduce the time doctors spend on administration so they can see more patients.
AI will listen to doctors’ appointments and automatically generate patient notes in a bid to improve productivity in the NHS (stock image)
In a keynote speech at the annual summit of the Nuffield Trust think tank, Ms Atkins said the “huge amount of money” would be transformative.
He said he had heard complaints from doctors and nurses on the wards that “outdated” computers were slowing them down and promised to modernize them, taking advantage of the “exciting opportunity” AI could bring.
Ms Atkins added: “I don’t think we’ve had a full public conversation yet about what AI will mean for healthcare; I think we’re starting to see signs of that in the United States.”
He said voice-activated AI “is part of our plans for this productivity plan.”
For doctors short on time this will mean that instead of “having to write for 20 minutes” after an appointment, “notes will be created, thus reducing the amount of time that has to be spent accessing a computer,” he said. Mrs. Atkins said.
“I want you to take care of patients and not look at computer screens.”
Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said he has “huge concerns” about the use of AI to transcribe medical notes.
He said: “There are important privacy issues here, which the NHS must take seriously.”
‘Patients value the confidential nature of the relationship they have with a doctor and many will be concerned to learn that their conversations are being recorded.
‘If they feel embarrassed about their medical problems, they may not be as frank as they should be during a consultation where AI listens to them.
‘This could lead to them receiving the wrong diagnosis or treatment and causing harm.
‘There’s also the question of what happens to the recording once it’s saved to the cloud. There is always a chance that it could be hacked.
‘Having used AI for some tasks, such as internet searches, it is clear that it is not always 100 per cent accurate.
‘In a medical context, transcription errors can be harmful. And if you select the key fragments of the conversation, you can highlight minor details and overlook the important ones.
“This means doctors will have to spend time checking that transcriptions are accurate, which means it may not save time at all.”
Sam Smith, of privacy campaign group medConfidential, said: “Patients need to know how data is used, including who records it and where transcripts go.”
“Patients should recognize this as the creepy overreach of technology it appears to be.”
Cori Crider, director of tech justice group Foxglove, said: “With waiting times through the roof, GPs are under incredible pressure to see as many patients as they can, as quickly as possible.”
Patient groups warned that people could be harmed as they would be too embarrassed to speak freely about medical topics while being recorded (file image)
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“But two years ago, during the GPDPR fiasco, patients gave a fairly unanimous ‘down with you’ to the idea of the government, or anyone else, spying on private conversations with their doctor, and a million patients opted out.” Do not share your data in a month.
“If the government treats people like adults and gives them clear and transparent control and consent over how this technology is used, this could be a quite literal lifesaver.”
“But there are no shortcuts to gaining that trust, and the government has a terrible record of trying to pass new NHS technology onto patients without bothering to get their permission.
“Doctors and patients alike need the government to stop trying to skip this essential step and do it better.”
Atkins also revealed that the Department of Health has appointed former M&S chief executive Steve Rowe to ensure the productivity plan “improves care across England”.
He said: “We are on the cusp of a medical revolution, where technology, personalized therapies and better data can transform outcomes for a generation that is more health conscious than any that came before.
‘The NHS must seize this opportunity and look to the future, not limit ourselves to what has always been done. In fact, you need to have, to borrow a phrase, an M&S moment.
‘This much-loved British brand, a stalwart of our high streets for decades, realized a change was needed and embraced modernity, pivoting towards the next generation who wanted them and secured their long-term future.
“This is what the NHS needs to do to make sure it is there for the next 75 years.”
Ms Atkins continued: ‘I love M&S and I am very happy to welcome Steve Rowe to the Department.
‘The reason we are doing this is precisely because of the recovery story that M&S has experienced over the last 5,6,7 years, so it’s fair to say they were in the doldrums and we were all worried about the closure of stores. stores.
“Now, many times I’ve had a conversation with colleagues who admire their beautiful new jacket and say, ‘Oh yes, it’s M&S.’
“And it’s because they’ve listened to what their customers have said, but they’ve also recognized that they need to move forward and I think bringing Steve into the Department, helping us with the productivity plan, but also with other forms of delivery, will be a very big step forward.” significant”.
Atkin also used the speech to warn local NHS leaders that they must be held accountable when they spend taxpayers’ money.
He added: “We have to recognize that as public services are funded by the public for the public, that attitude is not acceptable and please we must change.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Trust is the most important issue when implementing new technologies that have a direct impact on patient data.
‘Patient confidentiality will always be a top priority. Any suggestion that the implementation of new technologies will undermine this confidentiality is wrong and irresponsible.’