A Day in the Life of an AI-Augmented Doctor

In today’s rapidly advancing healthcare landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming medical practice into a seamless blend of human expertise and machine precision. Leading this revolution is Dr. Sara, a pioneering physician whose daily routine showcases the power of AI augmentation in reshaping patient care.

As an early adopter of advanced medical technologies, Dr. Sara skillfully integrates cutting-edge tools that enhance diagnostics, streamline administrative work, and optimise outcomes. Recent studies show that AI-assisted diagnostics can exceed 90% accuracy in certain specialities, while automated systems reduce administrative tasks by up to 70%. For Dr. Sara, these innovations represent more than convenience—they mark a profound shift in care delivery.

In this edition of AI Horizons, we’ll explore a typical day in the life of Dr. Sara and how AI empowers her to deliver more precise diagnoses, personalised treatments, and, ultimately, a new standard of excellence in patient care.

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06:00 – A New Dawn

It was 6:00 AM when Dr. Sara's intelligent bedside assistant, seamlessly integrated with her Oura Ring, began to adjust the lighting in her bedroom gently. As soft ambient light filled the room, she stirred awake to the sound of her AI assistant softly reciting her sleep quality score, resting heart rate, and a forecast of the cognitive load expected for the day based on her calendar and pending patient list.

06:15 – Morning Briefing with AI

Over her first cup of coffee, Dr. Sara opens her iPad and launches Glass Health AI, a clinical summarizer and decision-making assistant explicitly designed for physicians. The platform, being seamlessly integrated into Electronic Health Record (EHR), scans her schedule for the day, offering concise yet detailed insights into each patient’s history, updated lab results, flagged symptoms from patient portals, and even suggested differential diagnoses-each tagged with evidence links to UpToDate and PubMed. David, a 67-year-old patient with type 2 diabetes, had uploaded his continuous glucose monitor (CGM) data overnight. The AI interprets the trends and offers a preliminary recommendation: “Consider adjusting evening basal insulin. The average glucose rises post-dinner. Evaluate adherence.” With that insight, she’s already a few steps ahead before even walking into the clinic.

07:30 – Virtual Triage Begins

Dr. Sara’s day officially kicks off with Visba Triage, an AI-powered triage system connected to her clinic's patient app. Patients report their symptoms through chat, and the system uses natural language processing (NLP) and real-world evidence to prioritise cases based on urgency and severity. A patient complaining of mild sinus issues is directed to a pharmacist, while another reporting sudden chest pain is immediately flagged for an in-person consultation. Simultaneously, Infermedica works behind the scenes, scanning symptom combinations to provide risk assessments for complex cases. It doesn’t diagnose—it guides. For Dr. Sara, this means less noise and more clarity, allowing her to focus on what truly matters.

08:30 – First Patient, First AI-Driven Consult

Emily, a 38-year-old singer, walks into Dr. Sara’s office. She’s been struggling with fatigue and low mood for weeks. As Dr. Sara listens attentively, Microsoft Dragon Copilot, a generative AI ambient scribe, captures their conversation in real-time, drafting a clinical note as they speak. Meanwhile, Kintsugi Voice, an AI tool analysing vocal biomarkers for mental health, passively evaluates Anna's tone, rhythm, and speech patterns and flags a likelihood of severe depression. While Dr. Sara doesn't rely solely on AI, it corroborates her clinical intuition. She refers Anna to the mental health team and schedules a follow-up, all while the documentation is completed before Emily leaves the room.

09:30 – Remote Monitoring and Predictive Alerts

Between patients, Emily checks her Current Health dashboard—an AI-enabled remote monitoring system used for patients recently discharged from the hospital. One of her COPD patients shows subtle changes in respiratory rate and oxygen saturation over three consecutive days. The system flags a moderate risk of exacerbation within the next 72 hours. With one click, Dr. Sara initiates a call with the patient, updates medications, and arranges for a home nurse visit. AI didn’t replace Dr. Sara—it empowered her to intervene early and prevent complications.

10:15 – Diagnostic Imaging with a Second Set of Eyes

Dr. Sara orders a chest X-ray for a patient with a persistent cough. Within the hour, the image returns—but before she even opens the radiologist’s report, Lunit INSIGHT CXR, a deep learning AI for radiology, has already processed the scan. It highlighted an area of concern in the left lower lobe and assigned a high-risk score for pneumonia. The radiologist's report arrives shortly after, aligning with the AI's interpretation. Two perspectives—human and artificial intelligence—reach the same conclusion, closing diagnostic gaps and boosting confidence in clinical decisions.

11:30 – AI in Pediatrics: Care for Young Ones

A mother brings in her 2-year-old daughter for evaluation of fever and rash. Dr. Sara uses VisualDx, an AI-powered dermatology assistant, to match rash morphology with possible conditions. The AI suggests roseola, backed by an image comparison tool that helps the mother understand the diagnosis. Later, she meets David, a teenager recently diagnosed with ADHD. She incorporates Woebot Health, an AI-powered mental health chatbot, into his ongoing behavioural support program. David enjoys the daily check-ins, and Dr. Sara receives weekly summaries to review progress.

13:00 – Lunch with Literature and Learning

While having lunch, Dr. Sara launches her UpToDate Advanced AI Assistant to browse a curated digest of the latest journal articles related to cardiology and diabetes, two areas where her practice has been expanding recently. The system even highlights evidence conflicts and compares guidelines across major societies (ACC vs. ESC). A recent article in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine on using AI for the early detection of atrial fibrillation caught her eye. She saves it to her Scite AI tool, which allows her to explore citation networks, criticisms, and alternative views—all presented in a visual knowledge graph.

14:00 – Afternoon Rounds: AI at the Bedside

At 14:00, Dr. Sara begins her afternoon rounds, guided by the sophisticated Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset, which is integrated with the hospital's electronic health record (EHR). As she enters each patient room, the headset projects real-time patient vitals and medical history directly into her field of view, allowing her to maintain direct eye contact while accessing critical information. The system automatically syncs with the hospital's central database through IBM Watson Health's CareConnect platform, ensuring all displayed data is current and accurate. For each patient, Dr. Sara utilises the VitalTrack 360 monitoring system, which employs advanced machine-learning algorithms to analyse subtle patterns in vital signs. When reviewing Mr. Thompson's case, the system flags a slight irregularity in his heart rate variability that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. During her examination of Mrs. Rodriguez, Dr. Sara activates the Dermai Scanner, which uses computer vision and deep neural networks to analyse skin conditions with remarkable accuracy. In mere seconds, it provides a differential diagnosis for Mrs. Rodriguez's rash, cross-referencing visual data with her medical history and environmental factors. The insights allow Dr. Sara to adjust therapy in real-time.

15:30 – Optimizing Prescriptions with AI

Back in the clinic, a patient on polypharmacy expresses confusion about her pill burden. Dr. Sara opened PharmiTech, an AI-based polypharmacy tool that reviews EMR data, flags potential drug interactions, and suggests alternatives. Replacing one antihypertensive and switching to a long-acting diuretic potentially improves adherence. What previously required 40 minutes of back-and-forth calls and pharmacy checks now takes only 4 minutes.

16:15 – Plain Language Summaries with GPT-4

Dr Sara’s next patient, Amjad, doesn’t speak fluent English. After her consultation, she uses a GPT-4-powered translation model trained on healthcare-specific data to convert her discharge summary and lifestyle advice into simplified, culturally sensitive Urdu. The patient reads it and smiles. “Now I understand,” he says. This is equity in action, driven by AI.

16:45 – Closing the Loop

Before leaving the hospital, Dr. Sara reviews her notes via voice with Notable Health—an AI that converts her spoken reflections into structured documentation. It updates chronic disease registries, flags missing referrals, and prepares case summaries for tomorrow’s teaching rounds.

She also uses Synthea, a synthetic data generation platform, to explore population-level insights for an upcoming publication on long COVID. AI, for her, is not just a clinical tool—it’s a creative partner, a research assistant, and a companion in continuous learning.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations: Navigating the AI-Augmented Landscape

Despite AI’s transformative benefits in medical practice, Dr. Sara faces significant challenges and ethical dilemmas requiring careful navigation. Balancing human connection with technological reliance is critical, as AI lacks the emotional intelligence vital for patient relationships. Dr. Sara constantly weighs AI recommendations against her clinical intuition, especially when social factors or patient preferences are at play. Data privacy and security demand robust protections, with blockchain platforms like Guardtime’s KSI adding security but increasing complexity. She also grapples with technical biases, advocating for diverse datasets while shouldering the responsibility of oversight. The rapid evolution of AI necessitates continuous learning and patient education. Furthermore, Dr. Sara confronts ethical concerns about healthcare equity, recognising that smaller clinics struggle to afford advanced AI tools. She actively works on initiatives promoting fair and responsible AI deployment across healthcare settings.

Final Reflections: The Human-AI Partnership

Dr. Sara represents a new generation of clinicians—those who lead with empathy, empowered by intelligence. Her stethoscope may be analog, but her care is undeniably digital. She knows when to lean on AI to sharpen her judgment and when to trust her human instincts. Behind every algorithm, every prediction, and every probability, she sees a patient with dreams, fears, and a story worth hearing. AI hasn't made her less human—it has made her more present, more focused, and more prepared. Her true strength lies not in the technology itself but in how she wields it with wisdom and compassion.

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Disclaimer:

The scenario described in this article is a fictionalised depiction created for illustrative purposes. While the AI tools, technologies, and clinical practices mentioned are based on real advancements and applications, the character "Dr. Sara" and her experiences are hypothetical. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and unintentional. This newsletter is intended for educational and informational use only and should not be construed as medical advice, endorsement of specific products, or a guarantee of clinical outcomes. Readers should consult qualified healthcare professionals for medical guidance and exercise critical judgment when adopting new technologies into practice.