Key points
- In a 2026 study of 97 allied health clinicians at an Australian public hospital, most reported high ease of use and better documentation quality, with customisation the main friction.3
- Each profession has its own record shape. Dietitians write a nutrition and dietetic diagnosis as problem, aetiology and signs and symptoms, documenting each problem separately.2
- The HCPC asks every registrant for full, clear and accurate records completed as soon as possible after care.1
- wai drafts notes and letters in templates shaped to the specialty, for the therapist to review and sign.6
Summary
An AI scribe works for allied health when each profession gets its own template, built on its own documentation model, and the therapist narrates observations the scribe cannot hear. Occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics and podiatry each need different fields, and the therapist reviews and signs every draft.
The therapist spends the session watching the patient move, swallow, eat or walk, and the note, the goals and the report to the referrer are drafted by the end of it. The set-up starts from each profession's own record structure. Physiotherapy has its own guide at AI scribes for physiotherapy.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee a dietetic review drafted into a structured diagnosis, goals and a letter to the referrer.
| Profession | Note structure | What the therapist narrates | Outputs for sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational therapy | Goals, functional assessment, environment, recommendations, plan | Observed task performance and assistance needed | Note, report to referrer or funder, equipment recommendations |
| Speech and language therapy | Case history, communication or swallowing assessment, goals, plan, advice | Assessment findings and test scores, never the transcript of the patient's speech | Note, swallowing recommendations, report to school or nursery |
| Dietetics | Assessment, diagnosis as problem, aetiology and signs, strategy, monitoring | Weights, intake estimates and measurements | Note, letter to the referrer, patient plan |
| Podiatry | Each foot separately, vascular, neurological, skin and nails, treatment, risk category | Pulses, sensation testing and side for every finding | Note, procedure consent record, letter to the family doctor or diabetes team |
| Physiotherapy | See the physiotherapy guide | Objective measures | Note, exercise plan, discharge letter |
What allied health clinicians report
At an Australian public hospital and health service, 97 allied health clinicians answered a survey and 27 were interviewed. Most reported high ease of use and better documentation quality, workflow and job satisfaction, and customisation was the main friction. Clinicians stressed reviewing every draft, and noted that some patients, such as those with persecutory beliefs about surveillance, may not be suitable for recording.3
In a children's health service in Queensland, a cohort of 131 clinicians that included 36 allied health practitioners cut median time to finalise outpatient letters from 7.9 days to 14 minutes.5 Researchers in the field call for discipline-specific evaluation in allied health, and templates built for each profession give a clinic that footing.4
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy notes centre on function in context. The template needs the person's goals in their own words, a functional assessment of the tasks observed, the home or work environment, equipment or adaptation recommendations with reasons, and a plan with review dates. Reports to referrers, employers or funders draw on the same assessment.
Much of an OT assessment is observation, so the therapist narrates what they see, such as needing two attempts and arm support to stand from a standard chair, and the draft records it.
Speech and language therapy
The scribe hears the patient's speech, so a transcription can tidy away the very errors the therapist is assessing. Assessment findings come from the therapist's own narration and formal test scores, never from the transcript of the patient's speech.
The template covers case history, often given by a parent or carer, communication or swallowing assessment, goals, the therapy plan and advice given. Swallowing recommendations need their own field that the therapist checks word for word, and reports to schools or nurseries are drafted from the same record.
Dietetics, worked through
The British Dietetic Association's Model and Process sets six steps, from assessment through diagnosis, strategy, implementation and monitoring to evaluation. Each problem becomes a nutrition and dietetic diagnosis written as problem related to aetiology as evidenced by signs and symptoms, and each is documented separately so its outcome can be reported.2
Take a 72-year-old with COPD at a dietetic follow-up with his daughter. The drafted note records weight down 3 kg in two months, meals left half eaten and breathlessness when eating. The diagnosis reads inadequate oral intake related to breathlessness at meals, as evidenced by intake under half of meals and recent weight loss. The strategy sets an outcome and a goal for the next visit, with smaller, more frequent meals and higher-energy snacks agreed with him and his daughter.
The draft letter to the referring doctor sets out the diagnosis, the plan and the review date. The dietitian checks every figure and signs.
Podiatry
Podiatry notes are measurement-heavy and side-specific. The template needs each foot recorded separately, vascular and neurological findings as the podiatrist states them, skin and nail findings, footwear, the treatment given and the risk category with the review interval. Consent for nail surgery or other procedures gets its own field.
Check laterality first on every draft. Letters to the family doctor or diabetes team come from the same record.
One standard for every registrant
HCPC standards ask every registrant to keep full, clear and accurate records for everyone they care for, and to complete them promptly and as soon as possible after care.1 A draft written during the session is ready for review the moment the patient leaves, and the therapist's review and signature make it the record.
wai shapes note and letter templates to the specialty and refines them as the clinician edits, so each profession's drafts read like its own.6 Signing stays with the therapist, as set out in our accuracy guide.
Where to start
Pick one profession and one appointment type with a clear structure, such as dietetic follow-ups or podiatry reviews. Build the template from that profession's own documentation model, run it for two weeks, and measure time from the end of the session to a signed note and the number of corrections per note.
Then add the next profession with its own template. Agree before go-live which patients will not be recorded, and where speech and language assessments draw findings only from the therapist's narration.
Bring one of your profession's templates. We show how a session fills it, and what the therapist narrates.
Frequently asked questions
What makes an AI scribe work for allied health?
Profession-specific templates built on each discipline's own documentation model. Allied health researchers call for discipline-specific evaluation, so test each template in your own sessions.4
Can an AI scribe be used in speech and language therapy assessments?
Yes, for the history, plan and report. Assessment findings should come from the therapist's narration and test scores, because a transcript can tidy away the speech errors being assessed.
How should a dietitian's draft be structured?
On the BDA Model and Process, with each problem written as problem, aetiology and signs and symptoms and documented separately.2
Are there patients who should not be recorded?
Yes. Clinicians in one allied health study noted that recording may be unsuitable for some patients, such as those with persecutory beliefs about surveillance.3 Agree a list before go-live.
What does the HCPC expect of an AI-drafted note?
The same as any record, full, clear and accurate, completed as soon as possible after care.1 The therapist reviews and signs.
Where is physiotherapy covered?
In its own guide, AI scribes for physiotherapy.
Sources
- 1Health and Care Professions CouncilStandards of conduct, performance and ethics, standard 10, keep records of your workRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2British Dietetic Association, 2020Model and Process for Nutrition and Dietetic PracticeRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Digital Health, Ryan and colleagues, 2026Acceptance of AI scribes within hospital allied health settings, a mixed methods studyRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4Australian Health Review, Ryan and Hattingh, 2025Artificial intelligence medical scribes in allied health, a solution in search of evidenceRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Kapoor and colleagues, 2026Improving clinical efficiency using artificial intelligence scribe for documentation (ICE-AID study)Read 14 October 2026Read source
- 6wai, 2026wai for clinicians, templates in your voiceRead 14 October 2026Read source
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