The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine AI, examined two commercially available AI scribe applications—Microsoft DAX and Nabla—in real-world clinical practice.
This is the first randomized trial to rigorously evaluate whether AI scribes deliver on their promise to help address this problem.
Among 238 physicians across 14 specialties and 72,000 patient encounters, researchers found that Nabla users reduced their documentation time by nearly 10% compared to usual care (control group), while both tools showed potential benefits for physician burnout and work-related stress.
The research also revealed important limitations. Physicians reported that the AI-generated notes “occasionally” contained clinically significant inaccuracies, most commonly omissions of information or pronoun errors. One mild patient safety event was reported during the study.
This technology requires active physician oversight, not passive acceptance. Physicians must remain vigilant in reviewing AI-generated documentation.
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