Survey of Acceptance and Requirements for AI Ambient Scribe Systems in German Ophthalmology
Synopsis
This study anonymously surveyed 34 ophthalmologists (median age 49 years, 47% female) from a regional physician network in Germany via online questionnaire and found that most respondents spent 20–39% of their working time on clinical documentation, approximately three quarters expressed general interest in using a reliable and secure ambient scribe system, key perceived benefits were reduced documentation time and increased time for patient care, major barriers were concerns about AI reliability, integration into existing IT systems and data protection, with locally deployed solutions preferred over cloud-based approaches.
Interpretation
Ophthalmologists devote a substantial portion of working time to clinical documentation, with most respondents reporting 20–39% of working time spent on documentation. Data on acceptance of ambient scribe systems in ophthalmology were previously lacking; this survey provides initial quantification of documentation burden and acceptance among German ophthalmologists. Based on an anonymous online questionnaire of 34 ophthalmologists; limited sample size, descriptive survey data.
Approximately three quarters of surveyed ophthalmologists expressed general interest in using a reliable and secure ambient scribe system. Provides initial empirical data on acceptance of ambient scribe systems in ophthalmology, filling a prior data gap for this specialty. 34 questionnaires from a single regional physician network; self-reported intention rather than actual usage behavior.
Perceived key benefits included reduced documentation time and increased time for patient care; major barriers included concerns about AI reliability, integration into existing IT systems and data protection, with locally deployed solutions preferred over cloud-based approaches. Identifies specific facilitators and barriers ophthalmologists consider when adopting ambient scribe systems, providing demand-side evidence for system design and implementation. Based on self-reported perceived benefits and barriers in the questionnaire; subjective evaluation data.
Perspective
This study characterizes the acceptance and requirements profile for ambient scribe systems among German ophthalmologists, applicable to understanding perceived documentation burden, willingness to use, and preferences for system features within this regional physician network. Its conclusions are directed at healthcare administrators, system developers and policymakers concerned with ophthalmic clinical documentation efficiency and AI tool adoption, in the setting of office-based and employed ophthalmologists within a German regional physician network.
The survey is based on self-reported data from 34 ophthalmologists from a single German regional physician network; whether the acceptance and requirement preferences apply to other regions, other practice sizes or other specialties remains to be studied. Additionally, respondents expressed intention to use rather than actual usage experience; the reliability, integration effectiveness and actual impact on care efficiency of ambient scribe systems in real clinical settings still require further validation. As only abstract-level text was loaded, questionnaire items, response rate and statistical details are not presented in the text, which may affect judgment of result robustness.