Enhancing Clinical Care with Ambient Listening

Aim

To restore focus on patients and not paperwork. This project explored whether AI-powered ambient listening could reduce
documentation burden, improve the quality of clinical notes, and enhance both patient and clinician experience across outpatient services.

Outcomes

• Up to 80% reduction in post-consult documentation time for some clinicians
• 84% of staff reported increased workflow
  efficiency. * Improved documentation turnaround and personalisation.
• 88% of clinicians reported Lyrebird improved note quality, validated by Lyrebird-generated notes scoring higher in quality reviews
• 68% of patients said clinicians spent more time directly engaging with them
• Over 100 clinicians across 21 specialties participated
• Clear recommendations developed for safe, scalable deployment

Background

Across Queensland, clinicians face mounting pressure to “do more with less.” The growing burden of administrative documentation
has eroded the time available for person-centred care. Many clincians have reported that they are spending more time writing notes than delivering care, contributing to cognitive overload, rising burnout, inefficiencies, and suboptimal clinical records—putting
both clinician wellbeing and patient care at risk. At Gold Coast Health, some clinicians, particularly those working across public and private settings—had already begun trialling ambient listening tools like Lyrebird in their private practice and benefitting
from its usage.

Digital Transformation and Research Division at Gold Coast Health worked with these experienced clinicians in considering Ambient Listening market nationally and internationally and after due considerations, formally partnering with Lyrebird  Health to trial their AI-powered ambient listening platform across adult and paediatric outpatient services.

The goal was to test whether this emerging technology could be safely embedded in routine clinical workflows—delivering meaningful value while protecting  clinical integrity and patient trust. The 16-week trial commenced in July 2024, engaging over 100 clinicians across 21 specialties. The initiative was underpinned by strong governance, robust change management, and real-time co-design. It was grounded in the  belief that successful digital transformation must go beyond efficiency—it must improve care, restore connection, and reduce clinician fatigue.

Discussion

The trial showed that ambient listening with Lyrebird significantly improved the clinician and patient experience. Clinicians
reported feeling more present, less fatigued, and more able to focus on care—not documentation. “There’s no longer a keyboard between us,” one clinician shared.

Quantitative results supported this shift:

• 88% of clinicians agreed their notes were clearer  and more complete.
• 84% said Lyrebird made their work more efficient.
• 68% of patients noticed their clinician spent more time looking at them and less at a screen. Note quality improved measurably—Lyrebird-generated notes scored higher on structure and  completeness using the PDQI-9. The tool helped eliminate vague or incomplete documentation and encouraged more robust clinical reasoning in records, particularly in complex case discussions. Documentation turnaround time improved.

In some cases, admin time  dropped from 90 minutes per consultation to just 20. Several clinicians began sending more timely, tailored communications to families—something they previously couldn’t do consistently. The sprint feedback model was key to success. Clinicians weren’t just  end users—they helped shape the tool. Weekly feedback led to regular system updates, improving transcription accuracy, interface design, and template functionality. This built a sense of ownership and trust and enabled the tool to embed into day-to-day practice  more smoothly than traditional IT projects. The project was not without its challenges: release management, customisation complexity, the resource load required for sprint testing and template refinement, and limitations in mobile access and telehealth compatibility.

Importantly, these were met with transparency and rapid response from Lyrebird—demonstrating a vendor genuinely committed to co-design and safety. This initiative proved that ambient listening technology has the potential to fundamentally shift how clinical
documentation is done—making it more efficient, more human, and more reflective of the care delivered. Implementation planning is now underway to expand its adoption across additional outpatient specialties, allied health, and inpatient teams. Continued focus
will be placed on secure integration with ieMR, template optimisation, and tailored onboarding.

References

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