Dr. Arpit Srivastava x Heidi at a glance
“With Heidi, I can just let it record everything and document that full story in seconds... it’s made consultations so much more time-efficient.”
Key outcomes:
- Saved 20-30 minutes per consultation on administrative tasks
- Enhanced patient engagement through undivided clinician focus
- Reduced mental fatigue and cognitive load, improving clinician well-being
- Streamlined administrative work, benefiting both clinicians and administrative teams
Read on if you might also be experiencing:
- Struggles with mental burnout due to excessive documentation time
- Difficulty engaging with patients while managing time-consuming documentation
- Inefficiencies in handling referral letters, medical forms, and meeting notes
- Frustration with limited patient data in private practice slowing down consultations
Background
Dr. Arpit Srivastava is a General Practitioner (GP) and Clinical Director at Brunel5 Primary Care Network (PCN) in Swindon. He is also involved in digital leadership with his Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and sits on several committees for NICE. Alongside his NHS commitments, Dr. Arpit co-founded
MessageGP, a private online GP service. His diverse professional roles provide him with a unique perspective on healthcare and technology, particularly when it comes to streamlining administrative tasks.
Dr. Arpit’s involvement in both primary care and digital health initiatives led him to explore AI-driven solutions like Heidi to address inefficiencies in clinical documentation and administrative workload.
Challenges
Mental burnout and documentation fatigue
One of the core challenges Dr. Arpit faced was the overwhelming mental fatigue resulting from the extensive time spent on documentation. The cognitive load of capturing every detail from patient consultations, while ensuring accuracy and completeness, often led to burnout
“We were using so much mental headspace to document.”
Dr. Arpit highlighted that the need to remember every key point from patient discussions while typing created additional stress, especially as the next patient would often be already waiting to be seen.
Strained relationships with patients due to screen time
Another issue he encountered was the impact of excessive screen time on the patient experience. Dr. Arpit noticed that his focus was often divided between typing and engaging with patients, causing a disconnect in the quality of the consultation.
“Being able to actually look and make eye contact and re-engage with the patient… they're absolutely loving it.”
Time constraints in private practice
In his private practice, MessageGP, Dr. Arpit faced significant time constraints, exacerbated by the lack of access to full NHS records. Without patient history or previous clinical data readily available, consultations required more time spent gathering patient information.
“Our time, interestingly, is very limited because we don’t have access to the full NHS record… so, we need to spend a lot more time with the patient asking them ‘What’s your medical history?’”
Dr. Arpit was looking for a solution that could streamline documentation while allowing him to focus more on patient care.
Solution
The introduction of Heidi into Dr. Arpit’s workflow was a game-changer. Initially skeptical about AI’s ability to accurately capture clinical notes, Dr. Arpit was quickly impressed with Heidi’s performance.
“I just remember that first time I used it being blown away... how did it get it so accurately? How did it do it in so much detail?”
Some of Dr Arpit’s favourite uses of Heidi are across:
- Referral letters: Customizing the style of letters to meet the specific preferences of different specialists.
- Medical forms: Automatically filling out complex forms by extracting relevant information from patient notes.
- Meeting Notes: Creating structured action points from practice meetings.
Heidi’s ability to transcribe, understand context, and generate accurate clinical documentation quickly became an essential part of his workflow, freeing up more time for direct patient care.
Impact
“With Heidi, I can just let it record everything and document that full story in seconds... it’s made consultations so much more time-efficient.”
- Enhanced patient interactions: Dr. Arpit and his team have received glowing feedback from the patients since using Heidi.
- Significant reduction in cognitive load: this allows Dr. Arpit and his team to provide a more focused care and improves the enjoyment of their work.
- Time savings: over 20–30 minutes saved per consultation admin for each clinician.
Enhanced patient interaction
With Heidi handling the documentation, Dr. Arpit no longer had to divide his attention between typing and engaging with patients, which not only improved the patient experience but also enhanced the quality of care.
“[Patients] are absolutely loving it!”
Drastically reduced mental and physical fatigue
The most immediate and impactful change was the reduction in mental fatigue. By automating the most time-consuming aspect of his job, documentation, Dr. Arpit and his team experienced a significant reduction in cognitive load. This led to better focus, more engaged patient interactions, and, ultimately, improved clinician wellbeing.
“I use it for absolutely everything... clinical documentation, referral letters, forms, and meetings.”
Time savings for clinicians and administrative staff
Heidi also led to time savings across multiple aspects of the practice. In terms of documentation alone, Dr. Arpit estimates he has saved at least 20–30 minutes per consultation, allowing him to see more patients without compromising on care quality.
“It’s made consultations so much more time-efficient.”
The tool wasn’t just beneficial for clinicians but also for administrative teams, who benefited from the automatic generation of letters and forms, reducing the amount of manual work.
Improved collaboration and communication
Heidi enhanced communication with NHS GPs and specialists, helping Dr. Arpit send more accurate and timely updates on patients' conditions. This improved inter-team collaboration and ensured patients received timely care.
“I can literally say to Heidi, ‘Can you rewrite this as a letter to the patient’s GP?’ and in 10 seconds, I’ve got a letter ready to send.”
Improved staff morale and workflow efficiency
As Dr. Arpit’s practice adopted Heidi, its impact spread across the entire team. He described it as not just a tool for clinicians but a “life assistant” for all involved in patient care, including pharmacists and practice managers.
“I think initially we thought it was your clinical documentation assistant... it’s now becoming your assistant, your life assistant.”
What’s next
By integrating Heidi into both his NHS and private practice workflows, Dr. Arpit Srivastava has revolutionised his approach to clinical documentation and administrative tasks. Heidi has empowered him and his team to spend more time focused on patient care while saving significant time and reducing stress. As a result, Dr. Arpit has transformed his practice into a more efficient, patient-centered environment.
“Once you’ve used it, no one can imagine the world without it.”
