Authors' objectives: Clinical documentation is a major contributor to administrative workload in hospital settings. Increasing documentation requirements, combined with limited time and staffing resources, place substantial pressure on healthcare professionals. AI-enabled digital health technologies (DHTs) are increasingly proposed to support or partially automate documentation tasks, aiming to reduce documentation burden and improve workflow efficiency. From a regulatory perspective, most AI-based documentation tools are currently classified as low-risk medical devices or non-medical software. Nevertheless, their use raises important questions regarding accuracy, completeness, data protection, bias, accountability, and governance. This report presents a scoping review that maps key AI-enabled documentation support functions, and describes the evidence base for their performance and impact in hospitals.

Authors' results and conclusions: Evidence on AI-enabled documentation support remains uneven and dominated by technical evaluations. Organisational impacts, implementation requirements, and long-term performance are insufficiently studied. Given the potential influence of these tools on clinical records, implementation requires human oversight, local validation, and governance frameworks, particularly in the Austrian context with ELGA and increasing interoperability requirements.

Authors' recommendations: AI-enabled documentation tools have the potential to reduce administrative burden; however, current evidence is limited, inconsistent, and highly context-dependent. A proportionate, risk-based approach with structured validation, sustained human oversight, and governance mechanisms is required before large-scale deployment.

Authors' methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across four bibliographic databases. In total, 755 records were screened. AI-supported documentation functions were grouped into use cases, and the evidence was synthesised narratively with a focus on technical performance, reported benefits, limitations, and implementation considerations.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: https://aihta.at/page/kuenstliche-intelligenz-im-gesundheitswesen-bewertung-der-klinischen-und-organisatorischen-effekte-ausgewaehlter-ki-anwendungen-in-krankenhaeusern/en

Year Published: 2026

URL for published report: https://eprints.aihta.at/1597/1/HTA-Projektbericht_Nr.171a.pdf

URL for additional information: https://eprints.aihta.at/1597/

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Full HTA

Country: Austria

Organisation Name: Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment

Contact Address: Josefstaedter Strasse 39, A-1080 Vienna, Austria

Contact Name: office@aihta.at

Contact Email: office@aihta.at