Downstate Health Sciences University's Clinicians Gain Efficiencies and Improved Wellbeing from Avo’s AI Scribe
Healthcare organizations are increasingly focused on reducing the time it takes to complete documentation tasks, which can impede patient care and contribute to physician burnout. Essential hospitals, like Downstate Health Sciences University, often face additional challenges given the vulnerability of the patient populations they serve. By implementing Avo's AI Scribe, a HIPAA-secure, AI-powered voice recognition assistant that transcribes patient-provider interactions in real-time, Downstate was able to empower its clinicians to save time and focus on their patients.
The Study: Assessing AI Scribe’s Impact
Between August and November 2024, clinicians at Downstate participated in a study to assess the effects of AI Scribe on efficiency, patient care, and clinician wellbeing. A mixed-methods survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative feedback from various departments, including Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Surgery, and Hospitalist Medicine.
Key performance indicators included:
- Usability and Efficiency
- Impact on Patient-Centered Care
- Clinician Wellbeing and Burnout Reduction
One internal medicine physician summed up the experience: “From capturing detailed histories to keeping progress notes precise, Avo ensures accuracy while freeing me to think critically about patient care. It's not just a tool—it's a partner in delivering quality healthcare.”
Key Findings: Time Savings and Impact on Wellbeing
1. Usability and Efficiency
A significant 88% of clinicians rated Avo’s AI Scribe positively for usability and workflow integration, with the same percentage agreeing that it enhanced their efficiency. Over 50% of respondents reported saving five or more minutes per patient, reducing documentation time from an average of 5–10 minutes per note.
2. Impact on Patient-Centered Care
Another 88% of clinicians stated that AI Scribe positively influenced their ability to focus on patients, improving interactions and overall care quality. Clinicians described the experience as “a night and day difference” in how they engage with patients.
3. Clinician Wellbeing and Burnout Reduction
Burnout is a growing crisis in healthcare, particularly in essential hospitals serving underserved populations. The study found that 78% of clinicians reported improved work-life balance and overall wellbeing with the use of Avo’s AI Scribe.
The Broader Implications: Scaling AI for Essential Hospitals
Essential hospitals often operate with limited resources, making efficiency-enhancing tools critical for sustainability. With so many ambient listening solutions out there, it’s important for essential hospitals to find a partner that is affordable and flexible to meet their unique needs.
Stay tuned for the upcoming VITAL 2025 Conference where a panel of experts, including Dr. Mafuzur Rahman (Chief Medical Information Officer, University Hospital at Downstate), Dr. Mohamed Nakeshbandi (Chief Medical Officer, University Hospital at Downstate), and Dr. Yair Saperstein (CEO and Co-Founder of Avo), will delve into the findings of this study. They will also discuss practical strategies for deploying AI documentation technology in other institutions to ensure equitable, high-quality care, while also reducing clinician burnout.
About SUNY Downstate
SUNY Downstate is the only academic medical center in Brooklyn. For the 2.3 million people who live there, it means ready access to some of the best physicians—and physicians-to-be—in the world.
About Avo
Avo’s clinician support platform empowers healthcare organizations to standardize care and reduce burnout by effortlessly incorporating guidelines and protocols into the clinical workflow. By centralizing the latest information and transforming it into actionable tools in the EHR (or outside of it), Avo simplifies everyday tasks like pre-charting, care planning, documentation, ordering, and more. At Avo, we improve quality of care with love, not alerts. Learn more at www.avomd.com.