Taking consent for an AI scribe
What to say before capture starts, what to write in the note, and what happens when a patient declines.
The moment consent is taken
Consent is taken at the top of the consult, before capture starts. Australian Privacy Principle 5 asks that a patient is told what is being collected and why, at or before the time it happens. Collecting it generally requires the patient's consent under Australian Privacy Principle 3, and health information is sensitive under the Privacy Act 1988.
The disclosure carries three facts: a tool drafts the notes from the conversation, you read and sign what it produces, and the record is stored in Australia.
OAIC guidance: APP 3, APP 5, health information.
The script
Adapt the wording, keep the three facts.
"I use a tool called aurii that drafts my notes from what we discuss. I read and sign everything. Your record is stored in Australia. Are you comfortable with that?"
"I have a documentation tool listening so I can face you instead of the screen. I check and sign every note. Your record is stored in Australia. All good?"
"That is completely fine. I will write my notes the usual way for this visit."
A patient who wants it in writing can be given the patient explainer or the consent sheet. On a telehealth call it is made before capture starts.
Where the patient cannot give consent, the disclosure goes to a parent, guardian or substitute decision-maker recognised under state or territory law.
Declined consent
Leave capture off for the whole consult and document as you would without one. Declining changes nothing about the care the patient receives.
Consent given at one visit can be withdrawn at the next. Notes already written stay in the record.
Deletion runs on request. What is deleted and what the practice keeps.
What goes in the record
- The consent, or the refusal. Which was given, the date, and who asked.
- Who else was in the room. A carer, parent or interpreter is captured with everyone else, which changes what the transcript attributes to whom: consultations with interpreters.
- A fresh ask. A new episode of care, a third party in the room, or a subject the patient may not want transcribed.
In the note
Consent for AI-assisted documentation discussed and given verbally. Dr A Nguyen, 5 September 2026.
The RACGP guidance
RACGP guidance on AI scribes covers disclosure and consent.
The RACGP has not reviewed or endorsed aurii.
RACGP guidance on AI scribesIn aurii
aurii drafts the note from the consult and holds it for the treating clinician.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the Privacy Act 1988, state or territory health-records law, your medical defence organisation's advice and your practice policy.
Start the free trial
Free 30-day trial. Create an account in the iPhone app or at app.aurii.com.au/signup. A card is added at signup on Stripe's checkout page; nothing is charged until the 30 days end.
hello@aurii.com.au