The New England Journal of Medicine has put a live question to medical directors: should AI scribes be writing up junior doctors’ clinical notes?
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has posted a case vignette asking medical directors whether they would recommend implementing an AI scribe — software that listens to clinical encounters and generates written notes — for residents, the junior doctors completing postgraduate training. The feature presents two opposing essays alongside the scenario — one recommending implementation and one advising against it — and invites readers to read the arguments and cast a vote.
The question sits at a live fault line in medical education. Residents’ clinical notes have long served two purposes: documenting patient care and building the writing skills that sharpen diagnostic thinking. Whether an AI tool supports or shortcuts that process is exactly what the NEJM is asking its readership to weigh in on.
The vignette is accompanied by two essays presenting opposing views — one recommending implementation and one advising against it — with the vote inviting readers to weigh in alongside the published arguments.
Source: @NEJM