UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL GALWAY’s emergency department has launched an AI research study in an aim to improve General Practitioners’ discharge letters.

The study, which is in collaboration with consultant Dr James Foley, will use MedWrite.ai’s AI assistant to conduct its research. The AI assistant generates GP letters from voice notes recorded by clinicians.

The study hopes to determine the efficiency and quality of AI on creating documentation, UHG said in a statement.

It said that the AI system it had chosen to use to conduct the study involves humans – in that each letter produced from MedWrite.ai is reviewed by the responsible clinician before it is finalised.

Dr James Foley, a consultant at the emergency department of UHG, said that writing post-discharge letters is one of the most time-consuming tasks in the emergency department. 

“Any initiative that increases efficiency in this pressurised environment must be considered,” he said.

MedWrite CEO, Sean Kirwan, said that the system maintains accuracy and oversight despite the scale of its potential.

“Every letter remains human-reviewed, ensuring quality and safety,” he said.