Latest news with #SantéQuébec
CBC
an hour ago
- Health
- CBC
Doctors are turning to AI scribes to take medical notes. Quebec wants to test it out
Social Sharing Frustrated by overwhelming paperwork that eats into their time with patients, some doctors in Quebec have been turning to artificial intelligence tools to streamline the transcription of their medical notes during consultations. Now, Santé Québec, the Crown corporation that oversees the province's health-care network, is planning to launch a pilot project to look into these technologies with the goal of expanding their use in the health-care system. Dr. Felix Lê-Phat-Hô, a family physician based in Montreal, has been using one of the tools for a year and says it's reduced his mental load and improved his quality of service. "It has a huge impact in my clinical practice," he said of the tool Plume AI. Lê-Phat-Hô says the tool saves him from doing two to three hours of paperwork daily, allowing him to see up to three more patients a day. Right now, only applications that have obtained official certification from Santé Québec, guaranteeing data protection, can be used. Plume AI, which was created by a group of Quebec doctors, is one of these approved platforms. Its co-founder, emergency room physician Dr. James Tu, says 10 per cent of doctors in Quebec already use his application — about 2,000 doctors. For Lê-Phat-Hô, the benefits speak for themselves. "You get to focus your attention solely on the patient, and the patients really appreciate it because they can feel that they have their doctor's full attention." "So it's really like a win-win situation for both the patient and me." WATCH | How AI tools are helping doctors: How doctors are using AI in the exam room — and why it could become the norm 4 minutes ago The Quebec government says it's launching a pilot project involving artificial intelligence transcription tools for health-care professionals, with an increasing number saying they cut down the time they spend filling paperwork. How does it work? Plume AI is an application that doctors can download on their phones or their computers. At the beginning of the consultation, they explain to the patient what the application does and ask for consent before recording the exchange. If the patient accepts, the doctor starts the recording, and the consultation goes on like it normally would: the patient explains their problem, the doctor asks questions, talks about diagnosis and the treatment plan. "It doesn't matter what the flow of the discussion was, what the interview was, what the language was, what the patient's accent was," said Tu. "Thanks to artificial intelligence, it's able to grasp the context of each discussion." Once the consultation ends, the doctor stops the transcription, and Plume AI generates a structured medical note based on the discussion. This way, doctors don't need to take detailed notes during the consultations, or write up the medical note during it or at the end of their day, which Tu says can take an "enormous" amount of time. Instead, they can focus on the patient in front of them. He says he's able to see up to six more patients a day in the emergency room thanks to the technology. "That's what I studied for," he said "To talk to the patient, not to fill out paperwork." Canada now has a minister of artificial intelligence. What will he do? Cybersecurity concerns Lê-Phat-Hô says he was initially skeptical about using AI in his practice, worried about the risks to his patients' privacy. Éric Parent, a cybersecurity expert, shares this concern. He says the data would need to be stored as locally as possible and within a controlled environment to avoid risks, and that there should be a protocol to establish who is legally responsible for the data. He also hopes that startup companies leveraging this technology invest in strong security measures. "When you cut corners with cybersecurity… we're creating a dependency on this technology, so if the system, for example, becomes unavailable, then what would happen?" he said. "And so these systems have to be built to be at the security level or the resiliency level, the quality level that we actually need." Plume AI stores its data locally in Quebec, and new data gets erased automatically after 24 to 48 hours, measures that reassured Lê-Phat-Hô. Tu, the tool's co-founder, is hoping to collaborate with more health-care professionals that could benefit from the technology, such as nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and dentists. He's looking forward to potentially collaborating with Santé Quebec for the pilot project to study the impacts of this technology on the medical field. "I think that the entry of artificial intelligence into the world of health is inevitable. It must be regulated, must be well supervised, must have guidelines in place," he said. "But for once, we are able to have access to technology in the health system that is not so behind the times."
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Quebec wants to launch AI pilot project to take medical notes in 2026
Emergency room physician Dr. Olivier Lavigueur works on a computer while providing care for patients in the emergency room at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette) More and more health care professionals are using artificial intelligence (AI) to transcribe medical notes during patient consultations, and Quebec's health ministry is planning to jump on the bandwagon. Work is underway to evaluate available solutions for clinical and non-clinical notetaking, Santé Québec said in an email to The Canadian Press. Currently, only solutions that have obtained official certification from Santé Québec, among other criteria to guarantee patient data protection, can be used in the health care network. Plume IA and CoeurWay are among the Quebec companies attracting more doctors to their applications. For now, Plume IA mainly does business with family medicine groups (GMFs). The company is currently in the process of having its application tested by speech therapists, social workers, doctors and nurses 'to demonstrate that it works' and eventually obtain 'a licence for an entire department, for an entire hospital,' said Plume IA Co-Founder Dr. James Tu. He launched Plume IA with Dr. Jasmin Landry one year ago, and says about 10 per cent of Quebec's doctors are already using their app – about 2,000 doctors. 'The feedback we've gotten has been really encouraging,' said Tu. 'Doctors call us, they write to us, they say we've changed their practice, they go home much less tired, they have more time with their families. We have stories of family doctors who have postponed their retirement this year because they found that the workload had decreased and that it brought back some enjoyment to their work.' Tu is an emergency physician and estimates that in his practice, he is able to see four to six more patients in an eight-hour shift. The amount of time saved varies depending on the practice, but in general, health care professionals can save one to two hours of charting per day. 'The app is accessible and works for all specialties,' said Tu. 'Those who get the most value from our app are those who have to do a lot of writing. I'm thinking in particular of social workers who have to write notes on patient demographics and psychosocial issues.' Proofread, validate and insert The Plume AI app has two modes. The first involves recording a discussion during a consultation with a patient (after obtaining their consent). The app then transforms the discussion into a structured medical note, a step that clinicians are used to doing themselves. The doctor can also conduct a consultation as normal and then, at the end, record themselves talking to the app to produce the same kind of structured medical note. According to Tu, even if a patient has a strong accent or uses certain phrases in another language, the app will be able to produce a reliable medical note. 'That's the power of artificial intelligence: it's not necessarily a word-for-word transcription. It's the artificial intelligence that interprets the conversation [...] and is able to deduce a little more about the context,' Tu points out. He acknowledges that occasionally, some errors may still slip into the note, and that clinicians need to be vigilant. 'I think it's a habit that everyone has anyway, instinctively rereading the note and correcting any typos or adding information that is more visual or implicit. Then they can correct the note directly in the app. It takes a few seconds, and then they can immediately validate it and insert it into their file,' explained Tu. For now, Plume IA is focusing solely on transcription, but its co-founder says he is confident that the technology will one day advance the accuracy and speed of diagnoses. 'The potential is almost endless, and I think it will happen,' he said. However, Tu notes that important issues must still be addressed, including ethical questions, accountability, and the diversity of data sources. The Canadian Press's health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 11, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Canada-U.S. relationship will never be the same
Re: ' American writer shocked by how furious Canadians are with the United States ' (NP Montreal, July 25) In his New York magazine article, the writer suggests the Canadian chill toward the United States will eventually 'thaw,' especially if the next president is a Democrat. Maybe. But I doubt Canadians will soon forget how America turned against us after being the closest of allies and partners for decades. The anger will probably subside, but I believe the relationship will never be the same — never as trusting or as deep. America has shown us who they are. Jerry Trudeau, N.D.G. Rich get richer under Trump The U.S. is projected to receive $300 billion from tariffs collected internationally, while the so-called 'one big, beautiful bill' proposes cuts to government and social services. No plan seems to exist to share tariff revenue with Americans who have the greatest need. Instead, it seems destined to underwrite a tax cut that will benefit the wealthiest citizens. It's expected consumers will bear the biggest brunt of these tariffs. This might be acceptable if the money was being used to help those who are the most impacted by inflation and struggling to make ends meet. But it seems Trump takes from the poor and gives to the rich. Natalie Turko-Slack, Pierrefonds Santé Québec progress report? Re: ' Over 900,000 Quebecers on wait-lists for specialists ' (The Gazette, July 17) More than six months have passed since the CAQ government launched Santé Québec, the bureaucratic adjunct to the Health Ministry. It was supposed to operate with much improved efficiency to deliver better health care to more Quebecers, many of whom now lack either primary care doctors or timely services. As we wait to see concrete results form Santé Québec, I believe it is incumbent upon that organization to present a 'progress report' of what exactly has been accomplished so far and what plans are in the making so that we can have some reassurance that the huge cost for this major bureaucratic organization is not a colossal waste of the taxpayers money. Goldie Olszynko, Mile End Ozzy's Crazy Train late on arrival Re: ' Birmingham, the 'home of metal,' gives emotional farewell to Ozzy Osbourne ' (NP Montreal, July 31) I clearly remember in 1980 when Crazy Train was released as a single and never made it to the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. Seems it was too intense, too heavy metal. This week's Hot 100 has it at No. 46, and it is likely to rise. Turns out this classic has a new life, even if the artist's life had to end. Edmund Gleason, Pincourt Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
CBC
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
New leader coming to Winnipeg's infectious disease lab
A new leader is coming to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, after its head stepped down just months after taking over leadership of the embattled laboratory that was previously at the centre of a security scandal involving a Chinese scientist. Microbiologist Jean Longtin will leave his position as vice-president of the laboratory on July 25, less than six months after taking on the role, and has accepted a position with Santé Québec that will begin in August, a spokesperson for Health Canada confirmed in an email Thursday. Health Canada also confirmed that Jason Kindrachuk, Canada Research Chair in the Molecular Pathogenesis of Emerging Viruses and an associate professor at the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine, will join the agency as the new vice-president of the lab beginning later this month. When Longtin took the reins of the federally run laboratory in January, he was tasked with implementing recommendations of the special committee on the Canada-China relationship. Those recommendations stemmed from concerns about Chinese espionage. In 2019, two Canadian researchers of Chinese origin, Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were escorted out of the lab before later being fired. Declassified Canadian Security Intelligence Service documents tabled in the House of Commons in February 2024 said the couple provided confidential scientific information to China and posed a credible security threat to the country. The federal government said Longtin decided to take a role in Quebec to be closer to his family. Kindrachuk, who will begin his new role as head of the lab on July 28, has "significant experience in the areas of biochemistry and infectious diseases, and an extensive track record of scientific research," Health Canada said. His research has focused on the circulation, transmission and pathogenesis of emerging viruses that pose the greatest threat to global human and animal health, including Ebola viruses, coronaviruses and influenza viruses, the University of Manitoba website says. The lab in Winnipeg is a biosafety Level 4 infectious disease laboratory, the only one of its kind in Canada, and with maximum containment, scientists at the lab are able to work with pathogens including Ebola, Marburg virus and Lassa fever, the federal government says.
Montreal Gazette
16-07-2025
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
More than 900,000 Quebecers on wait lists for consultations with medical specialists
By Aaron Derfel Nearly two out of three Quebecers in need of a consultation with a medical specialist are waiting past medically acceptable delays — up from 41 per cent at the end of 2023, Health Ministry statistics reveal. In total, nearly 910,000 Quebecers were waiting for a consultation with a specialist as of May 31, the latest date for which such figures are available. That compares with almost 832,000 people who were waiting for a consultation on Dec. 31, 2023. The figures are the latest indication of persistent access problems in the health network more than half a year into the mandate of Santé Québec, the Crown corporation that was set up to run the public system more efficiently. 'It's going form bad to worse,' veteran patient-rights advocate Paul Brunet, executive director of the Conseil pour la protection des malades, told The Gazette. 'It means that some of these patients are likely to end up in the emergency room when their health situation become more aggravated. For some, that's the only way they will be operated on or taken care of by specialists. Meanwhile, the crisis in emergency rooms is still going on. 'The state of health care is degrading,' Brunet added. Health Minister Christian Dubé has focused much of his attention on improving access to family physicians. On that score, there has been some progress, although there are still almost 644,000 Quebecers waiting for a consultation in primary care using the online portal known as the Guichet d'accès à la première ligne (for those who don't have a family doctor) — up from more than 619,000 at the end of 2024. Yet the latest numbers suggest that access to medical specialists may pose an even worse problem. What's more, the Gazette reported last month that some heart patients who have been examined by a specialist are dying on wait lists as Santé Québec and the health ministry squabble over jurisdiction and resources. A record three dozen cardiac patients have died from sudden death while waiting for a life-saving operation since the start of the year. The lengthening of wait times to see a medical specialist is coinciding with an exodus of some specialists from the public system to the private-for-profit sector. For example, more than 108,000 Quebecers were waiting for a consultation with a dermatologist as of May 31. Meanwhile, since last July the number of dermatologists who have opted completely out of the public system has climbed to 49 from 41 . The private-sector dermatologists now represent about one quarter of such specialists practicing in the province. They are charging patients out of pocket an average of $250 per consultation. Another striking example concerns orthopedics, with nearly 60,000 Quebecers waiting (often in pain) for a consultation with a specialist. At present, there are 38 orthopedic surgeons who have opted out of medicare, with about 340 remaining in the public system. Quebec has since adopted legislation to prevent orthopedic surgeons from opting in and out of medicare regularly. But the new regulations are unlikely to have an impact on those who have quit the public system permanently. Audrey Noiseux, Dubé's press attaché, referred The Gazette's queries to Santé Québec. Marianne Paquette, a spokesperson for Santé Québec, said that improving access to specialists remains a priority for the Crown corporation that was established on Dec. 1 last year. 'Although the issues surrounding access to specialists are complex, concrete (solutions) are being actively implemented,' Paquette said in an email. 'These efforts are based on reinforced clinical coordination, process optimization and concerted mobilization of all network players. The common objective remains to improve access to specialized services, with a view to ensuring equity, efficiency and responsiveness to patients' needs, throughout Quebec.'
