Doctors in Health New Zealand's emergency departments could soon be saving precious time with the roll out of a helpful AI tool.

AI technology Heidi creates a written transcript of doctors' consultations and makes a medical note.

Country-wide trials show clinicians could see an extra patient per shift, while bringing down average documentation time from around 17 minutes to just over four per patient.

Heidi New Zealand Clinical Director Ben Condon told Mike Hosking the AI not only creates a written transcript, but can also use templates to create medical notes, discharge summaries, and referral letters, among other things.

He says doctors will still be responsible for reviewing the notes and letters for accuracy, but time will be saved by having them ready to review in real time.

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Schools need more support from parents to get the most out a student phone ban.

A "phones away for the day" policy's been in place since Term Two last year.

An Education Review Office report shows two thirds of teachers saw a rise in student achievement, but only half of students are following the rules.

Head of ERO Education Evaluation Centre Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking the number one reason students contravene the ban is to contact family.

She says parents should phone the school office instead of their child, and shouldn't answer if their child calls.

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There’s encouraging evidence that the "cool" component of vaping among young people is shifting.

The 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey shows smoking prevalence is at 6.8% – a slight decline on last year, with 12% of adult Kiwis vaping daily.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello told Mike Hosking the Government's cracked down on enforcement for vaping that wasn't in place before.

She says the last two years have seen youth vaping coming down and the drive to keep under 18s out of the vaping environment is paying dividends.

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