Published 19. nov 2024
"I find it to be a useful tool," says Julie Halstensen, a patient of GP Øystein Ødegaard-Olsen. On the table in front of her GP is a microphone. It records everything that is said during their conversation.
– The doctor is looking at me instead of sitting with his back turned and writing.
A computer program converts the conversation into text in a format that fits the patient record, including the patient's history, any findings, the doctor's assessment, and measures. The doctor must edit and approve the text, after which it is entered into the record.
– I save at least an hour a day.
says Ødegaard-Olsen.
The data tool is called Noteless and became available for general practitioners in July. Its creator is a company from Bergen.
So far, 350 general practitioners have adopted Noteless, with 100 of them based in the Bergen area. In October, over 100,000 journal notes were generated using Noteless.
William Vossgård is the managing director and one of the three founders of the company. Ødegaard-Olsen holds the title of CMO and contributes by testing new features. Vossgård has big ambitions for Noteless.
"These days, we are launching a solution for physiotherapists. We are operating in Denmark and will soon expand to several European countries," he says.
On the list of future projects is a version for hospital records. Hospital doctors usually write more detailed notes than general practitioners. An informal survey among doctors at Haukeland University Hospital suggests that writing takes a lot of time. 67 percent of the doctors responded that they spend more than half of their working time on journal notes.
Bjørn Liljestrand Husebø, the chief union representative for senior doctors, confirms that hospital doctors spend a lot of time in front of the PC. In an email he writes:
'We don't have exact data, but we would say that it is not unreasonable to estimate that doctors spend more than 50 percent of their working time on reading journals, documentation, and organizing patient care on the computer.'"
But is it legal to record patient conversations?
Vossgård assures that no recordings are made:
– The audio is streamed continuously to our server and converted into text. All data going in and out of the program is encrypted, and only the doctor has access to the proposed journal note. After 24 hours, it is deleted.
The journey from idea to a marketable product was short for Noteless. In November last year, they moved into the Eitri incubator at Haukelandsbakken. By summer, they were ready. Geographically, the company is split: the medical professionals are in Bergen, while the developers and the commercial team are in Oslo.
My advice was to get started quickly. Several companies are developing similar solutions, says Ådne Iden Høiland, director at Eitri. 'Now the best will win,' he adds.
At a conference on artificial intelligence in general practice earlier in November, Noteless and several competitors were presented.
Medivox, Talktracer, and Medbric also offer journal notes produced with artificial intelligence. All of these companies are new this year.
"We opened for users on October 1 and already have 400 general practitioners as subscribers," says Jorunn Thaulow, managing director at Medbric.
The company emerged from a project in which researchers from NTNU and the University of Oslo involved general practitioners in the development of AI solutions. Before launch, a prototype was tested with 400 doctors.
"75 percent of these doctors experienced improved communication with their patients. They spent less time on record keeping and felt less exhausted at the end of the day," says Thaulow.
The competitor Medivox finished testing in August.
"At the moment, we have 250 users, and we are growing rapidly in line with market demand," writes chairman Jon Gottfred Andersen.
In Norway, there are 5000 general practitioners.
Vossgård says that the general practitioners who have adopted Noteless are thrilled with the help it provides.
– One practitioner says she now has time for 27 patients per day, compared to 22 before. Noteless can help shorten healthcare waiting lists.
At Ødegaard-Olsen's general practitioner's office, Noteless is also used to write referrals and convey messages to patients and professionals.
"I speak the message aloud, review the draft, and send it. A lot of time saved."
"Do you have time for more patients?"
"The time I save, I spend with my family," he says with a smile.
