Artificial Intelligence in Allied Health Newsletter - June 2025

Hello everyone! 

Can you believe we are half way through the year already! Welcome to the June edition of the AI in allied health newsletter. Since the last newsletter I attended the digital health festival in Melbourne Australia. It was a melting pot of people from all across the digital health ecosystem- startups, clinicians, physicians, tech companies and many more. My key takeaways were: 1. AI is everywhere, literally every second word uttered was “AI”, 2. AI Agents are starting to come into hospital workflows (so it’s only a matter of time before they come to allied health), 3. There are lots of startups doing interesting things, but not much in the allied health space (yet). June is a busy month for me as I’m off to Singapore for the SuperAI conference and then back home to the Occupational Therapy Australia national conference in Adelaide. If you’ll be at either event, please reply and let me know, I’d love to catch up! 

Industry News 

Stanford Launches ChatEHR: AI for Clinical Use 
Stanford Medicine has developed ChatEHR, an AI-powered tool that not only helps clinicians draft clinical notes but also allows them to “chat” with the electronic health record (EHR) to retrieve key information from a patient’s history. Instead of manually digging through files, clinicians can ask questions like “When was their last MRI?” or “What medications were prescribed last month?” and receive accurate, structured answers instantly. Built using privacy-compliant large language models and reviewed by healthcare professionals, ChatEHR is showing early success in saving time and reducing clinician burnout. It’s a strong example of how AI can be thoughtfully integrated to streamline workflows and improve care. 

Google Gemini Gets an Upgrade 
Gemini 2.5 has officially launched, with faster processing, better reasoning (called “Deep Think”), and multimodal input/output, meaning it can handle text, images, and audio together. While not built specifically for healthcare, its enhanced capabilities open up exciting potential for accessible education tools, client resources, and smarter admin workflows. 

Australia Eyes AI Leadership Through Clean Energy 
A recent report highlights Australia’s unique opportunity to become a regional leader in AI infrastructure, if it can align its clean energy resources with the right tech, skills, and policy investments. This could mean more local access to secure and sustainable AI systems in future, reducing our reliance on overseas platforms. 

Saudi Arabia Launches AI Sovereign Infrastructure 
Saudi Arabia has launched a state-backed AI initiative called Humain, aimed at building sovereign AI capabilities and Arabic-language models. While it might sound distant, this move highlights the growing trend of countries investing in region-specific AI, something that could influence global healthcare access and inclusivity over time. 

Research 

This scoping review examined 42 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using artificial intelligence (AI) in rehabilitation settings. Most studies focused on neurological conditions (especially stroke) and used AI to support movement assessment, personalised exercise programs, or robotic assistance in therapy. The AI technologies included machine learning algorithms, neural networks, and hybrid models integrated into tools such as smart exoskeletons and motion capture systems. Most interventions demonstrated improved client outcomes compared to standard therapy, particularly in areas like balance, gait, and upper limb function. 

However, the review also noted limitations in transparency and ethical reporting: many studies lacked detail about how AI models were developed, what data was used, or how bias and safety were managed. Only one-third of studies included information about participant consent specific to AI use. 

Implications for Practice 

This research reinforces the growing evidence that AI-enabled tools can enhance rehabilitation outcomes, particularly in neurological and movement-based therapies. However, it also raises red flags around transparency and ethics. As clinicians, it’s critical to assess the quality and safety of AI interventions before adopting them, asking not just what the tool does, but how it was built and whether ethical safeguards (like consent and bias mitigation) are in place. This is especially relevant for those exploring robotics, virtual therapy tools, or AI-powered exercise platforms in practice. 

Read the article here: https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e57204

Prompt of the Month 

Each month, I’ll be sharing a useful AI prompt designed to enhance your practice. This month we’re using AI to assist us to explain a complex concept to a client or family. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

“You are a health communication expert. Explain [insert concept, e.g. executive functioning, sensory modulation, or goal-oriented rehab] in simple, clear language for a [parent/carer/client] who has no healthcare background. Use a warm and empathetic tone and include an everyday analogy if helpful.”  

Tried this prompt? Send me an email and let me know how you found it! 

Upcoming Events 

Free: The Group Chat – group supervision/ community of practice 

When: Next week, Thursday, 26th June 2025. 11am-12pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time- Sydney/ Melbourne time). Note, to accommodate timezones we are shifting slightly earlier, with this session 30 minutes earlier than usual. I don’t foresee any further changes in the timezone for the foreseeable future! 

Note: For those attending the Occupational Therapy Australia conference in Adelaide on this day, we will be convening a live attendance group, if you’d like to join me live in Adelaide, please hit reply to this email and I will let you know the details. 

Find your timezone here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Where: Online via Zoom 
Cost: Free 

Join me for a free, interactive "group chat" to share all things AI in allied health. It's a group supervision, community of practice, or interest group- whatever you want to call it, I'm calling it the 'group chat.' This session will be an open, informal, and mostly unstructured discussion for brainstorming, sharing ideas and challenges and peer learning! 

The session will be recorded and available to those unable to attend live. 

Sign up here: https://www.thetrainingclub.com.au/offers/GomvYPKz

Coming Soon: AI in Practice: A Hands-On Guide for Allied Health 

I’ve been quietly working on a brand-new self-paced course designed to help you confidently integrate AI into your everyday practice, whether you're brand new to AI or ready to take it up a notch. It’s called AI in Practice: A Hands-On Guide for Allied Health, and it’s packed with real examples, walkthroughs, and tools you can actually use. It was initially intended to be a mini- course (and launched months ago!) but has turned into an ’everything I know’ course to get you from beginner to confident- I just couldn’t help myself! 

It’s not quite finished yet (I’m putting the final touches together now!), but it’ll be ready very soon. I’ll share more next newsletter, but if you’d like early access or to be first to know when it drops, hit reply and let me know. I’ll make sure you don’t miss it. 

Heads up! Webinar prices are increasing from July 
From 1st July 2025, the price of individual webinar registrations will increase from $49 to $59 AUD. This small increase helps us continue to deliver high-quality, practical training while keeping things sustainable. If you’ve been eyeing a webinar, now’s a great time to register at the current price! 

 PS. Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 exciting ways I can help to elevate your practice with AI: 

1. Smarter Documentation Bundle – my two my popular webinars (Report writing + AI Scribes) is now bundled for $89. If documentation is draining you, this is a great place to start. 
   More Info Here: https://www.thetrainingclub.com.au/offers/XV2FXBNs/checkout
2. AI Webinar Library Subscription – Get instant access to the entire webinar library & all future released. Learn at your own pace, cancel anytime. 
   More Info Here: https://www.thetrainingclub.com.au/offers/SV8LFBhj/checkout 
3. Need tailored advice? Book an enquiry call to discuss how I can assist you with workplace training, AI strategy, or workflows in your business.  
   More Info Here: https://calendly.com/jessfrancis-ttc 

Thank You for Being Part of Our Community 
If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to reply to this email—I’d love to hear from you! 

Jess