Opinion: Leverage AI to ease the load for doctors and nurses
HEALTHCARE professionals continue to face extraordinary pressure long after the pandemic ended. National surveys by the American Medical Association found that physician burnout peaked at 62.8% in 2021.
Although it has eased, physicians are still 82% more likely to experience burnout than workers in other fields. Another national survey reported that 77% of physicians spend longer hours on excessive documentation or complete paperwork at home.
Similar challenges are seen across Asia as hospitals struggle with staff shortages, long queues and healthcare workers who balance both medical and administrative duties.
The issue is not temporary. It reflects a deeper problem in how healthcare systems operate and how much time is lost to admin work that takes healthcare professionals away from patients.
Daily doctor-patient consultations
One of Asia’s largest hospitals working with KewMann is already seeing practical gains from AI-assisted consultations. In a typical 15 to 30 minutes session…
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How can AI reduce workload for doctors and nurses?
AI can reduce administrative workload by automating tasks such as clinical documentation, discharge summaries, shift handovers and staff scheduling. This allows healthcare professionals to spend more time on patient care instead of repetitive administrative work.
How does AI help with medical documentation?
AI can capture consultation information, identify relevant symptoms, history and treatment plans, and generate a structured draft for review. In one hospital implementation, documentation time was reduced by more than 90%, while consultations finished about 30% faster.
Can AI help with hospital rostering and scheduling?
Yes. AI can apply staffing rules, skill requirements, shift limits and availability constraints automatically to generate compliant rosters faster. It can also respond to last-minute absences by proposing suitable replacements while maintaining required staffing levels.
How can AI improve hospital discharge workflows?
AI can compile diagnoses, procedures, medication changes and follow-up requirements from different parts of the patient record and generate a discharge summary draft. In the article’s example, a process that typically took around 30 minutes could produce a draft in less than one minute, with routine human intervention reduced by up to 80%.
Can AI replace doctors and nurses?
AI is better suited to reducing repetitive administrative work than replacing clinical judgement. Doctors and nurses still need to review information, make medical decisions and remain accountable for patient care, while AI supports the surrounding workflow.
What is Agentic AI in healthcare?
Agentic AI can coordinate multiple steps within a healthcare workflow, such as collecting information, preparing summaries, checking constraints and triggering follow-up tasks. Its value is in supporting complex workflows while keeping healthcare professionals involved in decisions that require clinical judgement.
