Title

The Impact of Ambient Listening Technology on the Patient Experience

Authors

Mary Solis, MD - Emory University School of Medicine Kajal Patel, MD - Emory University School of Medicine Mary Stout, MD - Emory University School of Medicine Nasrin Riyahi - Emory University School of Medicine Christopher Holland - Emory Healthcare Pamela Vohra-Khullar - Emory University School of Medicine Miranda Moore, MD - Emory University School of Medicine Reema Dbouk, MD - Emory University School of Medicine

Introduction

The documentation demands of the electronic health record (EHR) require clinicians to divide their attention.1-3 Loss of key eye contact weakens the personal connection and results in missed opportunities to understand patient values. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to restore this connection. Ambient scribe technology uses AI to summarize real-time conversation between clinicians and patients during an encounter. Early studies have shown a decrease in documentation time and provider burnout; however, the impact on the patient experience remains underexplored. Our objective was to compare the experience of patients who interacted with ambient listening software during an encounter to those who did not, to evaluate its role in supporting patient-centered, high value care.

Methods

Ambient listening technology is available for clinicians at our large urban academic medical center. Clinicians receive an orientation and obtain verbal consent prior to its use in an encounter. A random selection of patients received a targeted Press Ganey survey following outpatient visits across all departments February to April 2025. We conducted ordered logistic regression analyses to examine the association between ambient scribe use and patient satisfaction across 6 survey domains: provider communication, provider attention, perceived time spent with the provider, overall interaction with the provider, understanding of health information, and quality of the after-visit summary.

Results

8,120 completed the survey out of 210,027 recipients (response rate 3.9%): 4,010 (49.4%) following encounters that used ambient technology and 4,110 (50.6%) following standard encounters. 233 ambulatory centers were represented, with 45 falling under primary care. The average age of the survey respondent was 67.7 years old. 58% were women. There was a significant association between ambient listening use and perceived time spent with the provider (p < 0.007). Patients were also more likely to report satisfaction with the amount of time spent with the provider (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.13, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.01 - 1.26, p = 0.033). This was particularly notable for those in primary care encounters, when compared to sub-specialty encounters across all domains: provider communication (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.07–1.41, p = 0.004), attention received (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11–1.50, p = 0.001), time spent with the provider (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.15–1.48, p < 0.001), overall interaction (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10–1.46, p = 0.001), understanding of information discussed (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.16–1.52, p < 0.001), and instructions in the visit summary (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.25–1.57, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

As AI continues to transform clinical practice, it is essential to ensure these innovations enhance rather than undermine clinical care. In this study, patients reported no negative impact of an AI scribe on the quality of their outpatient visit. The greatest benefits were observed in primary care, a setting central to prevention, screening, and harm reduction. By reducing the burden of clinical documentation, ambient technology enables clinicians to focus more fully on the patient, improving patient satisfaction and perceived time spent with the provider. These findings highlight the potential for AI-driven tools to support high-value, relationship-centered care.

References

1. Marmor RA, et al. The impact of physician EHR usage on patient satisfaction. Appl Clin Inform. 2018 Jan;9(1):11-14. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1620263. Epub 2018 Jan 3. 2. Alkureishi, et al. Impact of electronic medical record use on the patient-doctor relationship and communication: A systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2016 May;31(5):548-60. 3. Kazmi Z. Effects of exam room EHR use on doctor-patient communication: a systematic literature review. Inform Prim Care. 2013;21(1):30-9