Vet Med has used AI (artificial insemination) for years – and now there’s a “new AI” (artificial intelligence) on the scene. Launching into this new world of AI in vet med can be scary. It’s important to know how AI is being used and when it can be effective, even helpful, to your clinic. And this doesn’t have to take too much time.

A great place to start with AI is in an area that takes significant time and feels like the work is never done. Finishing those medical or SOAP notes.

SOAP notes greatly impact patient care but take time to complete and often fall to the “I’ll get to it later” pile – This means you’re working on them hours or days afterwards (when you’ve forgotten details) or while you’re multitasking in the room with clients (which doesn’t allow you to focus on the client or the pet), or maybe they never get done at all (shh, it’s ok we’ve all been there)

AI can be a perfect solution – saving time, creating more detailed notes, allowing focus, and providing important handoffs for the rest of the medical team – your colleagues, relief doctors and even the front desk team trying to see if a refill was authorized.

a. Today’s AI SOAP notes are only going to be as good as the recording. Most SOAP note generators record conversations happening in exam rooms and then turn the transcript into SOAP notes. When looking at implementing, you need to consider the device that will do the recording. Do you have computers with audio in all the exam rooms? Do you want staff to bring in their personal phones and have information on them? Do you have tablets that will work for recording? Once you’ve decided on the best device, think through where it needs to be located in the room to pick up the conversation from the most important people without disturbing the patients and examinations.

a. The goal for using AI to capture SOAP notes should be partly in providing the best care for your patients and a good experience for your clients. With that in mind, it would be good to explain before recording that the appointment will be recorded and how that will help your clinic provide. This can be done by your front desk or check-in technician.

Here’s a script your team can use (generated by claude.ai):

Hi there! I’m [Name], and Dr [Name] wanted me to share something exciting we’re doing to provide even better care for [Pet’s Name] and all our furry friends.

Would it be okay if we record our chat today? We’re using a secure AI assistant to help turn our conversations into detailed medical notes. This means we can spend more time focusing on you and [Pet’s Name], rather than typing away at my computer!

Of course, the recording is just for creating [Pet’s Name]’s medical record and is kept just as private as all our other medical information.

Is that alright with you? Feel free to ask any questions!

a. We all know there are terms used in the veterinary profession that are not part of normal conversations (ADR, BAR, CBC to name a few). It’s important to choose a partner that has specificity so you do not have to constantly edit your SOAP notes.
b. Also look for a company that allows testing so you’re not paying for something that isn’t going to be a fit.
c. And lastly, it’s even better if it fits into some of your current systems today – like Otto or your PIMS.

a. While AI can greatly improve the documentation, it’s not going to catch everything and your doctors’ expertise cannot be understated. Therefore, it’s important to establish from the beginning that all the notes will need to be reviewed soon after the appointment (just like the creation of SOAP notes happens now) and edited for clarity or missed details. There are always going to be edits but this should be much faster for your team than trying to do them from scratch!

a. It may take you a bit to figure out the best set up and partner to use for SOAP notes. Don’t let this discourage you from trying! Take your notes as usual while adding in the AI and compare them. Are you using AI more? Did it capture everything? Do you need to tweak your setup to capture more of the conversation? Until you figure out the partner and set up that works for you, just be sure you have the original protocols still in place as a back up.