Aipedia: Osteopaths and chiropractors

AI scribes and case notes in osteopathic and chiropractic clinics

Aipedia, by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

You can use an AI scribe to draft case notes, but the note is yours, and the GOsC expects transcription tools to be named in your privacy notice. In a negligence claim the case notes are often the main evidence of what you assessed, advised and agreed.

Part of: AI in osteopaths and chiropractors

In short

AI scribes listen to a consultation and turn it into a structured case note. They save time, but they can mishear, omit a finding or invent one. The GOsC interim AI guidance says osteopaths remain responsible for AI use, must reference transcription software in their privacy notice and must not share confidential data with free public tools. OPS C2 requires records that are comprehensive, accurate, legible and completed promptly. In a claim, a clear, checked note is often the strongest defence a practitioner has, and an unchecked AI draft can undermine it.

How clinics use AI scribes

An ambient scribe runs on a phone, tablet or laptop in the treatment room. It records the case history and the discussion during examination, then drafts a note under headings such as presenting complaint, history, examination findings, working diagnosis, consent and plan. Some tools also draft a patient summary or a letter. In manual therapy the conversation is often interrupted by hands-on assessment, so the recording may capture fragments: a patient describing numbness while lying prone, or a practitioner thinking aloud about a test result. The tool has to guess how those fragments fit together.

The duties that apply

These duties apply whether or not AI is involved:

Records: OPS C2 requires patient records that are comprehensive, accurate, legible and completed promptly. A draft from a tool is not a record until you have checked and adopted it.
Transparency: the GOsC interim AI guidance says that if you use transcription software you should reference it in your privacy notice, and that AI use should be discussed with patients in plain language.
Confidentiality: OPS D5 and UK GDPR. The GOsC says sharing confidential data with free public AI tools would likely breach confidentiality. Check where recordings and transcripts are stored, how long they are kept and whether they train the model.
Checking output: the guidance warns that AI can present inaccurate output as fact, so you are expected to read the draft critically.

Chiropractors have no AI-specific guidance from the GCC, but the same record-keeping and confidentiality expectations apply under its Code.

What can go wrong

Illustrative scenario: a patient with low back pain mentions, while being examined, that they have had some tingling in the saddle area. The scribe misses the remark among other conversation and the draft note records "no neurological symptoms". The practitioner signs the note at the end of a busy list without reading it closely. Weeks later the patient is diagnosed with a serious spinal condition and alleges the warning sign was ignored. The note now reads as positive evidence that the practitioner asked and the patient denied the symptom.

Other failure modes include examination findings recorded on the wrong side, a consent discussion summarised as "risks explained" with no detail, invented test results, and transcripts of sensitive disclosures kept longer than needed. See also AI hallucination liability.

How PI usually responds

A claim arising from a missed or misrecorded finding is usually treated as a claim about your professional services, which the statutory rules require your cover to include. Under the GOsC rules and the GCC rules that cover must be at least £5m in the aggregate and include defence costs and claimants' costs. Using a scribe does not usually create a separate exclusion, but it depends on the wording, and some insurers may ask about AI use at renewal; the GOsC tells osteopaths to check. A data breach from a scribe, such as recordings exposed by a supplier, may sit more naturally with cyber cover than PI.

The note is also your evidence. A record showing you checked and amended the draft supports your defence; an obviously unedited draft invites questions about everything else in the file.

Practical controls

Put these controls in place:

Use a tool with a written data processing agreement, UK or adequate data location and no training on patient data without consent.
Name the tool in your privacy notice and tell patients before recording starts.
Read every draft before signing; correct and add rather than accept.
Record red-flag questions and answers in your own words.
Set a retention period for audio and transcripts.
Keep a short note of which tool and version produced the draft.

How Apex helps

Apex arranges PI for osteopaths and chiropractors; a broker can check how your policy treats AI-drafted records and whether your insurer wants scribe use declared. See PI for osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists.

Sources

Frequently asked

Do I have to tell patients I use an AI scribe?

The GOsC guidance says osteopaths should discuss AI use with patients in plain language and reference transcription software in their privacy notice. Telling patients before you start recording, and noting any objection, is the practical way to meet that expectation.

Who is responsible if the AI scribe gets the note wrong?

You are. The GOsC says responsibility for AI use cannot be outsourced to the tool, its developer or an employer, and OPS C2 requires accurate records. A supplier contract may give you some recourse, but the clinical record is yours.

Does using an AI scribe change what my notes must contain?

No. OPS C2 still requires comprehensive, accurate, legible and prompt records. The scribe changes how the draft is produced, not the standard. Add anything the draft misses, especially red-flag questions and consent discussions.

Can I delete the audio once the note is finalised?

Usually that is good practice, provided your retention policy says so and the finalised note is complete. Keeping audio longer than needed increases data protection risk. Agree retention periods with the supplier and record them in your privacy notice.

Check your PI covers how you use AI

Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.