Using AI in Practice? What Ahpra Expects of Allied Health Practitioners

AI can draft the note, summarise the history or suggest a plan. The care and the record remain yours. Ahpra sets out what that means in its guidance on meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare. It's short and worth reading in full. Here's what it means in a working clinic.

Who this applies to

The guidance is for practitioners registered with Ahpra. In allied health, that includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, psychologists, osteopaths and chiropractors, among others.

Some professions are self-regulated through their professional bodies instead, such as exercise physiology, dietetics and speech pathology. Check your own body's guidance. The habits below are good practice either way.

1. Check the output, every time

You remain responsible for safe, quality care and must apply your own judgement to what AI produces. A tool being approved by the TGA doesn't change that. For AI scribes, Ahpra expects you to check the record is accurate and relevant before it's saved.

That means reading every AI-drafted note before you sign it. Not skimming. Reading. The errors that slip through are predictable, from swapped left and right to findings you discussed but never observed. I list the ones to look for in how to choose an AI scribe.

2. Understand the tool you're using

You don't need to know how a model works internally. You do need to know what the tool is designed for, how it was tested and where it shouldn't be used.

Ahpra also expects you to know what happens to patient data: where it's stored, and whether it's used to train the AI. Ask your vendor. If they can't answer clearly, that is your answer.

3. Tell patients when AI is involved

Patients should know when AI is part of their care, and you should be ready to address their concerns. Recording a consultation calls for more explanation than, say, AI helping to interpret an image.

A short, plain sentence works: "I use a tool that listens to our session and drafts my notes. I check everything before it's saved. Are you comfortable with that?"

4. Get consent, and record it

Where AI uses patient information, Ahpra expects informed consent, ideally noted in the health record. For AI scribes that record consultations, consent is generally required, and Ahpra flags that recording without it can carry criminal implications.

Ask at the start, note the answer and respect a "no". Your intake forms and privacy policy should explain it too.

5. Protect privacy and confidentiality

Patient information must be collected, used, stored and disclosed lawfully. The simplest rule: never paste identifiable patient details into a general-purpose public chatbot. The privacy regulator recommends against entering personal information, especially sensitive information, into publicly available AI tools.

Use tools built for healthcare, with clear terms on hosting, retention and training. Privacy policies also face new AI disclosure rules from 10 December 2026.

6. Watch for bias

AI learns from data, and data reflects who was and wasn't included. Ahpra asks practitioners to consider bias, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and people from diverse backgrounds. Be most sceptical when a tool's suggestion doesn't fit the person in front of you.

Two more things worth doing

Know your workplace's AI rules. Groups and larger organisations often have approved tools and policies.

Check with your indemnity insurer that your AI tools are covered. It's a five-minute email that's easy to forget.

For physiotherapists

The Australian Physiotherapy Association's August 2026 statement on AI builds on the same foundations, and says Ahpra's guidance takes precedence where the two differ. I've written about what the APA statement means for your practice.

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AI should reduce the typing, not the thinking. For what happens when the checking is skipped, see lessons from an NDIS tribunal decision on AI-written reports.