Technology giant Microsoft has launched an ambient voice technology (AVT) tool in the UK, called Dragon Copilot.

The artificial intelligence (AI) tool can capture clinical conversations, draft documentation and automate follow-up tasks. It aims to ease the admin pressure for healthcare professionals and to improve the quality of clinician-patient interactions.

The technology combines the voice dictation of speech-recognition software Dragon Medical One with the ambient listening capabilities of the AI-powered tool Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot, according to Microsoft.

It has been certified by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a Class 1 medical device, and complies with the AVT guidelines set out by NHS England, it added.

This includes holding a Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) certificate, DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment), ISO/IED 27001 (Azure), and the NHS DCB 129 clinical safety standard.

Positive feedback from 10,000 AVT-enabled consultations

Prior to launching, the tool was piloted in the UK and Ireland via a private preview programme with seven healthcare organisations and 200 clinicians completing over 10,000 consultations.

Microsoft said it was ‘too early’ to report the results of this preview, but that feedback had been positive.

Dr Peter‑Marc Fortune, consultant paediatric intensivist and chief medical information officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which was part of the technology pilot, said consultations using AVT feel more ‘face to face’ and he compared it to what ‘would have happened in the GP surgery 20 years ago, before everybody had PCs on their desk’.

‘The most important thing is to develop a relationship with a patient,’ he said.

Dr Henry Morriss, emergency physician and director of clinical informatics at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, added: ‘My interactions with the patient are probably more elaborate.

‘I’ve got a chance to go into the information more, knowing I don’t have to remember it all to type it up.’

A spokesperson for Microsoft said: ‘Many UK healthcare organisations already rely on Dragon Medical One and we’re working closely with our partners to ensure Dragon Copilot is accessible through trusted frameworks, giving NHS Trusts flexible procurement options.

‘The solution is designed to integrate easily with any EPR, making it simple to adopt and scale across the health system.’

A letter issued earlier this year by NHS England further developed its guidance on the use of AVT and stated that ‘all NHS organisations must ensure that any AVT solutions being used meet the specified NHS standards’.

The 10 year plan outlined the ambition to expand the use of AI in healthcare, with one of its ‘five big bets’ that AI will drive productivity and patient power.

Last year, a white paper from the Microsoft company Nuance revealed that over a third of patients are in favour of clinicians using AI in consultations to improve documentation processes such as clinical letters.

But a survey from the Health Foundation found that NHS staff are split on the use of AI in healthcare.

A version of this article was originally published by our sister publication Healthcare Leader.