View a markdown version of this page

Ambient documentation - Amazon Connect Health
How ambient documentation worksTechnical requirementsConsent and patient notificationSupported medical specialties

Ambient documentation

Ambient documentation captures patient-clinician conversations in real time and generates structured clinical documentation for provider review. The service combines speech recognition with generative AI to produce clinical notes, extract medical terminology, identify speaker roles, and classify dialogue segments.

Important

Amazon Connect Health is not a medical device in the US. Ambient documentation, the Connect Health feature currently available in the UK, is registered as a Class I medical device in the UK.

Amazon Connect Health ambient documentation produces probabilistic results. Output accuracy varies based on audio quality, background noise, speaker clarity, medical terminology complexity, and context-specific language. All output must be reviewed for accuracy by a trained medical professional before use in patient care.

Amazon Connect Health ambient documentation is available in the US East (N. Virginia) (us-east-1) and US West (Oregon) (us-west-2) Regions, and as a Preview in the Europe (London) (eu-west-2) Region.

Topics

How ambient documentation works

Ambient documentation uses real-time audio streaming over HTTP/2 or WebSocket. The workflow includes:

  1. Create a subscription — Associate a provider with the ambient documentation agent. Subscriptions are automatically created in activated mode.

  2. Stream audio — Your application streams audio from the patient-clinician conversation to Amazon Connect Health over HTTP/2 or WebSocket. The service transcribes the audio in real time and identifies speakers.

  3. Generate documentation — After the conversation ends, the service generates structured clinical notes, evidence mappings, and an after-visit summary based on the configured template.

  4. Retrieve outputs — The service writes the transcript, clinical documentation, and after-visit summary to your configured Amazon S3 bucket.

You configure two inputs before streaming starts — encounter context and a clinical note template — and stream audio for as long as the conversation continues. For a step-by-step walkthrough of your first session, see Getting started with ambient documentation.

Concept Where to learn more

Getting started

A step-by-step walkthrough of your first ambient documentation session. See Getting started with ambient documentation.

Subscription

A configuration resource that associates a provider with the ambient documentation agent. See Subscription management.

Streaming audio

How you deliver audio over HTTP/2 or WebSocket, and the best practices that keep a session healthy. See Streaming audio.

Encounter context

Optional clinical background you provide before the conversation starts. See Encounter context.

Clinical note template

The structure the generated note follows — a managed template or one you customize. See Clinical note templates.

Outputs

The transcript, clinical documentation, and after-visit summary files written to Amazon S3. See Storage and outputs.

Before you start a session, review Consent and patient notification.

Technical requirements

  • Supported languages — US English (en-US) and Spanish

  • Supported audio formats — FLAC, PCM

  • Encoding — PCM 16-bit

  • Sample rate — The service accepts 8,000–48,000 Hz; 16,000 Hz or higher is recommended for best quality.

Amazon Connect Health ambient documentation uses AI to capture and transcribe clinical conversations in real time. Because this feature records spoken communications that may contain protected health information (PHI), customers and their downstream integrators are responsible for complying with all applicable consent, recording, and privacy laws. This includes obtaining all legally required consents before enabling ambient documentation for any patient encounter. AWS does not collect consent from patients on your behalf.

Appropriate consent must be obtained from each patient and anyone present in the room when ambient documentation is used. As part of obtaining consent, patients should be informed that the visit will be recorded and used by an AI service provider to create clinical notes, that their information may be shared with service providers, and that they can decline without any impact on their care. Customers and integrators should maintain records of patient consent, in accordance with applicable state law and internal retention policies. Customers should ensure that consent is obtained in accordance with their organization’s privacy practices.

Sample language:

"Before we begin, I want to let you know that today’s visit will be recorded and monitored by an AI service provider to help with documentation. Do you consent to proceed?"

Supported medical specialties

Ambient documentation currently supports the following specialties:

  • Allergy Immunology

  • Cardiology

  • Dermatology

  • Endocrinology

  • Gastroenterology

  • Hematology/Oncology

  • Infectious Disease

  • Nephrology

  • Neurology

  • OBGYN

  • Oncology

  • Ophthalmology

  • Orthopedics

  • Otolaryngology

  • Pain Medicine

  • Pediatrics

  • Primary Care

  • Psychiatry

  • Pulmonology

  • Rheumatology

  • Surgery

  • Urology