St. Louis-based Mercy is partnering with Microsoft to develop what the organizations describe as the first commercially available ambient AI solution for nurses, aimed at reducing administrative burdens and improving patient care.
The technology, part of Microsoft Dragon Copilot, captures and documents conversations between nurses and patients with their consent, automatically populating the EHR. The tool is already in use in inpatient units at Mercy hospitals in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, with expansion to additional sites expected later this year, according to a Nov. 4 news release.
Mercy is among eight U.S. health systems collaborating with Microsoft and frontline nurses to shape the system. At Mercy, medical-surgical nurses tested the tool by narrating their care in real time to help refine the technology.
Early results from Microsoft and Mercy show a 21% reduction in documentation latency, a 65% improvement in perceived timeliness, and between 8 and 24 minutes saved per shift for nurses who use the tool frequently. Additional findings include a 29% reduction in overtime, a 300% increase in mobile platform use and a 4.5% rise in patient satisfaction.
