Overview

• Across pilots at Mass General Brigham and Emory, use of ambient documentation was associated with a 21.2% absolute reduction in burnout at 84 days and a 30.7% absolute increase in documentation-related well-being at 60 days.
• The study surveyed more than 1,400 physicians and advanced practice providers, though follow-up response rates were low at Mass General Brigham (about 30% at 42 days and 22% at 84 days) and Emory (11% at 60 days).
• Clinicians frequently reported more face-to-face time and greater joy in practice, while some cited added note-writing time and reduced usefulness for visit types such as pediatric physical exams or psychosocial care.
• Mass General Brigham scaled ambient AI from an 18-physician pilot in 2023 to availability for all physicians by April 2025, with more than 3,000 routine users, using tools from Abridge and Microsoft’s Nuance; Emory uses Abridge.
• The paper discloses funding from the Physician’s Foundation and the NIH’s National Library of Medicine and lists author and institutional industry ties, and researchers plan continued monitoring of time savings, patient outcomes, and durability of benefits.