TORONTO — Ontario’s health minister says the province is taking steps to ease the administrative burden on doctors.

Sylvia Jones says Ontario is expanding a program that uses artificial intelligence to summarize or transcribe conversations with patients to more than 150 primary care providers.

Jones says the patient must give their consent to doctors to use the program.

The province says it will also digitize more referral and consultation forms and is working to improve the eForms platform.

Ontario Medical Association President Andrew Park says doctors are spending nearly as much time in front of a computer as they do with patients.

Park says physicians spend on average 19 hours per week on administrative duties, which often leads to less time with patients and poor work-life balance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press