What is Ambient Voice Technology? Guide with Examples

What is Ambient Voice Technology?

Ambient voice technology (AVT) is a byproduct of ambient technology and voice dictation designed to adapt to clinical dialogue without intervention.

Generally, ambient voice technology is used in healthcare, and it consists of tools operating unobtrusively in the background. These tools enhance workflow productivity by eliminating the need for continuous clinician input. It is a component of the larger subset of AI scribing technology that helps clinicians reduce administrative burden in documentation.

In this article, we will introduce ambient voice technology as an innovation and how it improves healthcare practices.

Ambient Voice Technology Explained

Ambient voice technology is a reiteration of two or more AI functions, meaning it doesn’t come from a single source of capability. Rather, different AI technologies combine to produce it. Here’s an overview of AVT’s main technologies.

Ambient Technology Components

• Machine learning - The component using dataset-trained algorithms to spot patterns, make predictions, and ultimately develop systems that can learn from and improve their performance
• Generative AI - The tech that powers AI programs that generate text, images, and other forms of media on demand. It uses large language models (LLMs) to respond to user prompts and produce content.
• Conversational AI - Exemplified by AI chatbots and virtual chat assistants, this component describes the capability of machines to mimic human communication. 

Building Cohesive Ambient Voice Recognition Technology

The most effective ambient tools integrate and refine these technologies to deliver tangible, real-world advantages, particularly within sectors like healthcare. As the role of AI in healthcare continues to expand, more product reiterations are expected to emerge. Below, we discuss examples of ambient voice technologies actively applied in healthcare.

Ambient Voice Technology Examples in Healthcare

Ambient voice is a rapidly developing technology with numerous applications in healthcare.  As one can imagine, there’s only so much time in a day for doctors to accommodate a large volume of patients. To demonstrate how AVT helps clinicians make their daily workflow more efficient, we show you the top use cases below:

• Documentation in the exam room - To capture patient-provider sessions and convert them into structured notes, doctors can wear lapel microphones while the AVT listens and transcribes information. Even better, exam rooms can be equipped with overhead microphones on the ceiling for a smarter option.
• Hands-free hospital rounding - In ambulatory care, physicians can dictate directly into patient records hands-free while walking between patients, given that the tools are voice-enabled.
• Ambient scribing products - For patient visits, clinicians are free from typing and post-documentation work as the AVT handles the administrative aspect of care.

At present, the main use of ambient voice technology is for AI medical scribes, which are currently in use in healthcare practices around the world.

AI medical scribes are powered by ambient voice technology that reduces the frequency of manual typing and documentation. Due to this life-changing product, clinicians save more hours in their day, and that’s just one benefit of ambient AI medical scribes.

Benefits of Ambient Speech Recognition Tools

Ambient technology is often considered the “next big thing” in healthcare tech. Consequently, ambient voice recognition in healthcare is regarded as human-centered, attributing to its high adoption rates. Below shows a synthesis of the benefits ambient tech has on different healthcare segments.

• Reduced administrative burden - Clinics can scale without growing pains through lessened volume of backlogs, opening appointment slots and generating more revenue. 
• Better quality care - Clinicians across various specialties can maintain eye contact and engagement with patients while ambient tools capture medical conversation in the background.
• Increased clinical capacity - Healthcare settings become places clinicians want to work because of AI-supported workflows that alleviate clinician fatigue.

Showcasing some of the AI medical scribe benefits without evidence is counterproductive. Let’s take a look at some of the use cases where AVT helped the most, as reported by clinicians.

Ambient Voice Technology Case Study

Relevant studies on ambient voice technology frequently show overlapping themes. These include improvements in clinical workflow, documentation efficiency, job fulfillment, and patient engagement. So far, with our AI-powered medical scribe at Heidi, we’ve been making solid progress toward these goals.

From solo clinicians to small group practices and multi-site surgical centers, doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals are consistently reporting that they each save 1 to 2 hours each day on clinical documentation.

5 Ways to Use Ambient Voice Technology

Ambient voice technology is used in fields other than healthcare. However, ambient speech tools designed for clinical use are especially trained to:

1. Transcribe a Session

Using multi-platform ambient transcription, Heidi recognizes and differentiates different speakers. Because it is built to recognize fine-tuned medical vocabulary including medications, abbreviations, and other terminologies, Heidi processes and generates structured notes with high accuracy in real-time.

2. Generate Clinical Documents

Clinicians can automate document creation with Heidi’s “Create document” feature. Template-based generation speeds up this documentation process as it structures your session notes, patient summaries, or anything you need. Additionally, you can build templates from scratch or edit existing ones from the template community, allowing you access to a wealth of specialty-specific outputs. 

3. AI-Supported Dictation

Heidi’s smart dictation capabilities allow you to dictate into notes hands-free. Your process is made more efficient as well, thanks to Heidi’s mobile app support, ensuring uninterrupted workflow in case of internet outages.

4. Analyze and Summarize Patient History

Heidi makes your documentation more comprehensive as it incorporates historical medical information to complete your session records. And since you can integrate context, you can add patient history, test results, or even notes from your previous sessions.

5. Collaborate with Your Team

Heidi lets you share your own templates across other team members to maintain consistency according to your documentation practices. With role-based access, you can set permission levels for different care and support staff.

Ambient voice technology providers make sure that the tool is safe and effective in clinical settings. That achieved, our focus at Heidi is on the expansion of its capabilities to deliver the best care experience for clinicians and patients.

Try Heidi’s Game-Changing Ambient Voice Tool for Free

If you need confirmation that ambient voice technology does help in your clinical practice, the answer is yes, and we’ve got you covered. Heidi is available with a complimentary tier, not a time-limited free trial, to help you manage patient sessions hands-free and more efficiently.

Here is how you can get started with Heidi:

• Activate your account - Get a feel of the product with all basic features unlocked, at no cost. Experiment with advanced features using your 10 complimentary Pro actions each month.
• Transcribe a session - Using our app via web or mobile, Heidi conveniently transforms your sessions into notes wherever and whenever you may be.
• Spend less time on notes - Enjoy extra money and time savings as Heidi takes care of your notes. Fulfilled clinicians mean healthier patients.

Trusted worldwide, Heidi helps clinicians process over two million patient consults per week. Our ambient voice technology meets global healthcare data and security standards, including HIPAA, PIPEDA, GDPR, the APP, and more.  

Try for free

FAQs About Ambient Voice Technology

What does ambient voice recognition mean?

Also referred to as ambient clinical voice, ambient voice recognition is the capability of ambient AI tools that overhear conversations between doctors and patients. It then interprets and transforms the transcript into structured clinical notes that can be fed to EHRs. Lastly, the ambient listening tool can be prompted to generate any clinical document needed by practitioners, like progress notes and others.

Is ambient tech safe to use in healthcare?

Yes. Ambient tech supports the administrative aspect of care so clinicians can engage more with patients. Currently, they do not guide medical decisions nor suggest diagnoses. To ensure comfort for patients, consent forms are recommended for each encounter.

Do I need training or special equipment before using an ambient tool?

No. Ambient voice tools are generally straightforward in terms of usage. They offer ancillary skills that can be done without an extensive medical background or specialized equipment. These ambient tech are designed to be user-friendly and often require minimal training.