Healthcare spending in Switzerland has risen sharply in recent years and is projected to double by 2040. At the same time, physicians in ambulatory care face growing pressure to increase efficiency with existing resources. A major driver of inefficiency in Swiss primary care is administrative burden: general practitioners spend a substantial share of their working time on clinical documentation. This reduces the time available for consultations, contributes to burnout, and is frequently cited as a reason for early career exit. As a large proportion of today's general practitioners approach retirement age, the pressure on the next generation to efficiently care for a growing patient population is likely to intensify further.
Recent advances in large language models offer a potential solution: AI-supported medical scribes ("ambient scribes") can automatically generate structured clinical documentation from the conversation between physician and patient. International randomized controlled trials show improvements in clinical productivity and physician wellbeing. However, Switzerland's distinct billing structure, regulatory environment, and multilingualism limit the direct transferability of these international findings. Evidence on the effectiveness of AI medical scribes in Swiss primary care is currently entirely lacking.
In cooperation with the Chair of Health Economics, Health Policy and Management at the School of Medicine, University of St. Gallen, this project develops a feasibility study and a detailed study protocol to evaluate the widely used ambient scribe solution of the Swiss company Intonate. The solution supports all national languages as well as Swiss German dialects and is integrated into existing practice information systems. The primary objective is to develop a scientific framework to examine whether the use of the ambient scribe is associated with a reduction in administrative burden as well as improvements in consultation volume and staff satisfaction. In addition, the project will explore the effects on financial practice performance and other efficiency indicators.
The project also serves as the preparatory phase for a subsequent full Innosuisse application, aiming at a fully funded evaluation of AI-supported clinical documentation in Swiss primary care.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Geissler, Dr. David Ehlig and Carla Walker
Intonate
Innosuisse (Innocheque)
May 2026 – November 2026