UK NHS warns AI medical notes tools may misdiagnose

A UK NHS regulator has warned that AI tools used to listen to and transcribe doctor-patient conversations may misidentify drug and disease names, posing risks to patients. In one case, a female patient was wrongly told she had 'demyelination' due to an AI-generated summary, which was later corrected but caused her great distress.

Healthwatch England, a patient rights group, reported that several patients spotted errors in AI notes that medical staff missed, and these mistakes could stay in medical records permanently. Another case involved AI confusing a drug name, and one summary omitted a key prescription instruction.

Currently, 27 different AI medical note tools are used in England. Experts say AI 'hallucinations' mean doctors still have to check everything, so time isn't saved. The UK medicines regulator has not classified these tools as medical devices, raising concerns about oversight.

A survey found over half of GPs think AI notes are more accurate than their own, but errors are more likely with complex cases or non-English speakers. Experts stress the need for clear error reporting and correction systems to protect patients.