Doctors in Taiwan hospitals work, on average, 69 hours a week, far above the 50 hours they are scheduled for, according to a 2018 survey. Health care workers are stretched to the limit. So when generative AI hit the scene last year, hospital administrators quickly saw opportunities.
Since November 2023, the Chi Mei Medical Center has rolled out multiple copilots. Doctors use one to generate medical reports from admission and progress notes, saving time. Nurses use a different copilot to produce reports for shift changes and bed transfers. Nutritionists use a copilot to produce dietary recommendations.
There is also the A+ Patient Safety copilot, which identifies patients at risk of falls by key words such as “bed sores” or “low blood pressure,” and recommends extra safety measures. The copilots can also generate personalized education materials for patients with multiple conditions, rather than handing out generic brochures on each condition.
Today, two-thirds of Chi Mei’s 95 pharmacists are using a copilot, half of some 2,000 nurses and about one-third of a total of 700 doctors. Nurses report that their copilot has reduced the time needed to document bed transfers, including doctors’ instructions, admissions notes, exam results and more – from between 10 and 20 minutes to under five minutes.