From the Speech Pathology Resources archive. View the original article →

AI-powered scribing tools can support documentation and administration. Their usefulness depends on the task, the person and the workflow. Assess privacy, consent and professional responsibilities for your context; using a particular tool does not by itself establish compliance.

Here are 10 best-practice tips to help you get started.

1. Gain Client Consent Before Recording

Explain in writing what the AI tool does, why you’re using it, and how the data will be stored and deleted. Send this via email before your first session using the tool.

2. Provide an Accessible Information Sheet

Offer a plain-language handout covering benefits, privacy safeguards, and risks. This is especially important for NDIS clients, CALD families, and AAC users.

3. Collect Signed Consent Forms

Document informed consent in a form the person can understand, with communication support as needed. A signature alone does not establish informed consent or compliance.

4. Verbalise Key Observations During and After the Session

While transcription runs, speak some of your clinical observations aloud so they appear in the transcript, making summaries richer and more accurate.

5. Add Context Post-Session

Use your tool’s notes or context fields to include details that may not have been captured in the audio, such as background history or clarifying jargon.

6. Use Mobile Devices for Flexibility

Dictate in a private, appropriate setting using an approved tool. Check that others cannot overhear and that recordings do not capture people who have not agreed.

7. Automate Follow-Up Summaries

Draft post-session summaries, then check their accuracy and suitability before sharing them through your approved communication channel. Do not automatically send unreviewed AI output.

8. Review and Edit Every Output

Check for accuracy, tone, and relevance. AI-generated notes should be treated as a draft, not a final document.

9. Optimise Templates and Output Length

Experiment with summary length, style, and formatting to reduce editing time and match your documentation requirements.

10. Set Appropriate Retention and Deletion Rules

Assess the provider’s current data practices and the obligations that apply to your service. Set and document retention and deletion arrangements appropriate to your records, consent and applicable requirements. Do not adopt a fixed deletion period from a generic article.

AI Scribing Tools I’ve Tried

  • Heidi Health

  • Everability

  • Lyrebird

  • Quill Therapy Notes

  • Hipposcribe

  • BastionGPT

  • Allyscribe (update coming)

Join my newsletter for practical AI tips and live workshop dates.

Join the AI Speech Pathology Collective Facebook Group to hear about my AI trials and share tips with fellow AI enthusiasts. 

Consent processes, careful review and appropriate information handling all matter. Consider the benefits and risks for the person and your service, and keep clinical judgement central.

 

The tools listed above reflect my earlier trials, not a current compliance endorsement or guarantee of availability. See the privacy and governance review before adopting a tool.

← Back to articles