The Pitfalls of AI: Common Errors in Automated Transcription (and How Physicians Can Avoid Them)

Is AI transcripiton safe for doctors and clinicians to use? If you thought that AI transcription was “good enough” for your patients’ EMRs, it might be time to think again. Common errors in AI transcription can lead to a myriad of problems, from small errors in notes to potentially life-threatening alterations to the patient record. Then, of course, is the question: Who’s responsible when AI gets it wrong?

Here are some of the common errors in AI transcription, along with two ideas on how to avoid them.

4 Ways AI Transcriptions Jeopardize Patient Care

1. AI Transcription Bots Can’t Accurately Recognize Accents

Many of the common errors in AI transcription can be traced back to accents alone. A recent Guide2Fluency survey found that voice recognition software like ChatGPT has problems with almost all accents in the United States. It doesn’t seem to matter where you live: Boston, New York, the South, Philadelphia, Minnesota, the LA Valley, Hawaii, or Alaska – they’re all in the Top 30 regions. And that just covers speakers born within the U.S.… You and I may ask for clarification when confused by an accent, but AI can’t (or won’t).

2. Technical Jargon – Like Medical Terms – Are Confounding for AI

If AI can’t recognize “y’all” with a southern accent, how is it expected to recognize “amniocentesis”? In turn, the words AI tries to spell get confusing for clinicians going back to the patient record. De-coding “Am neo-scent thesis” isn’t always as easy as it looks, especially if similar errors happen a dozen times in a given transcript. AI transcription software just isn’t built to recognize medical terms well enough.

3. AI Hallucinations

Then there’s the problem of AI hallucinations. A recent Associated Press article points out that OpenAI’s Whisper transcription software can invent new medications and even add commentary that the physician never said. These common AI errors can have “really grave consequences” according to the article – as we can all well imagine. In one example, AI changed “He, the boy, was going to, I’m not sure exactly, take the umbrella.” to “He took a big piece of a cross, a teeny, small piece … I’m sure he didn’t have a terror knife so he killed a number of people.” Clearly, there can be medical and legal implications with these changes to the patient record. Who’s responsible when AI gets it wrong?

4. AI Transcription Does Not Ensure Privacy

You can almost guarantee that AI transcription software is storing that data somewhere in its system – or a third party’s. OpenAI uses Microsoft Azure as its server, which prompted one California lawyer to refuse signing a consent form to share medical information with Microsoft. OpenAI says it follows all laws (which presumably includes HIPAA), but that assertion would likely need to be tested in court before anyone knows for sure. Either way, the horse might already be out of the barn regardless of what a court finds…

How to Avoid Common AI Transcription Errors Corrupting Patient Records

There are two main ways physicians and clinicians can reduce the risk of these and other common errors in AI transcription from corrupting your patients’ EMRs.

1. Use Human Transcription instead of AI Transcription

This is the most straightforward approach. According to that same Associated Press report, “OpenAI recommended in its online disclosures against using Whisper in ‘decision-making contexts, where flaws in accuracy can lead to pronounced flaws in outcomes.’” If there is any situation where flaws in accuracy lead to flaws in outcomes, patient EMRs is certainly one of them. Preferred Transcriptions’ medical transcription services provide greater accuracy for better outcomes.

2. Use AI Transcription Editing Services

Busy doctors are more likely to miss errors because they are already burned out with administrative tasks. Plus, you may think AI transcription is helping relieve this documentation burden, but it may be adding to it instead when the doctor has to fix so many errors. Some companies now offer AI transcription editing services that can help clean up these errors, making the final review faster and easier for the busy clinician.

Contact Preferred Transcriptions to Reduce Common Errors in AI Transcription

Why leave your patient records to chance? Preferred Transcriptions provides fast, accurate transcription services that eliminates all common AI transcription errors. Not only will our trained medical transcriptionists reduce your documentation burden, they can help preserve better patient outcomes, too. Call today at 888-779-5888 or contact us via our email form. We can get started on your transcription as early as today.