A Three-Step Framework for Reducing Documentation Burden in LTC

Published: August 6, 2026 (edited August 25, 2026)

Timely, accurate and complete clinical documentation is essential to high-quality medical care, but for many clinicians in Canadian long-term care homes, the process has become increasingly fragmented, complex and time-consuming. Compliance requirements continue to expand along with the administrative and documentation burden for staff.

According to the 2024 Canada Health Infoway National Physician Survey:

• 51% of physicians spend more than 2 hours per day on 'electronic medical records' (EMRs) after hours

• 65% describe their after-hours EMR workload as excessive or moderately high

If you're concerned about retention of clinical staff, Health Canada has identified “reduced administrative burden” as one of eight core themes in its national nursing retention toolkit.

Case Study: Implementing AI-Enabled Documentation Workflows in LTC

Isabel & Arthur Meighen Manor of the Salvation Army in Canada (Meighen Health)

Like many long-term care organizations, clinical staff at Meighen Health had become accustomed to gathering resident information, reviewing history, and completing progress notes across multiple digital systems and paper-based processes. Inputs from external providers often had to be added manually, and workload pressures meant documentation was frequently completed at the end of a shift or after-hours, rather than at point of care.

Monica Klein-Nouri, Executive Director at Meighen Health wanted to explore how emerging technologies could reduce administrative burden while supporting quality care, staff experience, and operational efficiency. She also identified a funding opportunity through Canada Health Infoway, the Connected Care Innovation Grant, which was open for applications in the summer of 2025. Monica asked GlobalDWS to work with her on a joint application which was successful.

The project is now complete and we were pleased to share about the journey to select and validate the right technology solution to address this important priority on our August 17th Webinar. You can view the 51 minute edited video recording by clicking the image below.

As we discussed on the webinar, the grant application process reinforced a simple but important reality: successful AI adoption is not primarily a technology initiative. It is a business and care transformation initiative supported by technology. To be successful, the first step is to clarify the scope of the challenge you are prepared to address.

GlobalDWS Recommended 3-Step Framework

1. Start with the Workflow

Successful transformation begins by selecting a workflow where AI can deliver meaningful value quickly. In LTC organizations, leaders face competing priorities, limited resources, and growing demands on staff. Starting with a specific workflow allows leaders to focus investments where they are most likely to improve efficiency, consistency, and care delivery.

Before considering technology options, the team worked together to conduct workflow reviews and process mapping to identify documentation pain points, duplicated effort, manual data entry requirements, and opportunities for improvement. This helped ensure the initiative was grounded in the day-to-day realities of clinicians rather than assumptions about what technology should do.

For Meighen Health, this assessment led to the prioritization of Nurse Practitioner SOAP Notes workflow as the initial focus area. By identifying a high-impact use case with clear operational challenges, the organization could establish measurable objectives while creating a foundation for future adoption.

2. Keep the Design Clinician-Led

Technology adoption is most effective when the people who will use the solution help shape it. The project scope was a focused pilot involving the Nurse Practitioner to validate performance, test documentation workflows, and assess how AI-enabled note taking could fit within existing clinical practices.

As part of the project timeline, GlobalDWS created a sandbox environment after soliciting input from a number of clinicians to map the current workflow. By mapping the current and future workflows, we could develop a proof-of-concept for the new solution. After validation and refinement, the approach was expanded to support additional users such as their registered dietician and DAP workflow.

This phased approach delivered several benefits:

• Built confidence among clinical users

• Reduced implementation risk

• Generated meaningful operational feedback

• Improved adoption and engagement

• Enabled refinement before broader deployment

Clinician-led design ensures that technology supports care delivery rather than forcing care teams to adapt to technology.

3. Treat AI as a Strategic Enabler

AI documentation should not be viewed as a standalone software project. Its value extends beyond generating notes more quickly.

When implemented thoughtfully, AI can contribute to:

• Improved access to information

• More timely, complete and consistent documentation

• Better workflow efficiency

• Enhanced clinical decision-making

• Improved staff experience

• More time available for resident care

At Meighen Health, initial results demonstrated improvements in documentation efficiency, more timely and standardized notes, and reduced administrative burden for clinicians. The broader objective, however, was not simply to save time. It was to support a more sustainable model of care delivery that allows staff to focus more attention on residents and

families.

As organizations consider future opportunities, the same framework can be applied to other documentation workflows, interdisciplinary communication processes, and broader digital transformation initiatives.

Moving Forward with Confidence

Every long-term care organization is at a different stage of its technology adoption journey. However, the most successful initiatives tend to follow the same principles: start with a clearly defined workflow, engage clinicians throughout the process, and focus on organizational outcomes rather than technology features.

When approached strategically, AI can help reduce administrative burden, improve staff experience, strengthen documentation quality, and create more time for what matters most: resident care.

Download the Executive Briefing

For a deeper look at preparing to implement AI-enabled documentation in long-term care, download our Executive Briefing: "Reducing Documentation Burden in LTC" Includes key takeaways, impact of the recent pilot project, our recommended framework with executive reflection questions, and an Executive Readiness Checklist for long-term care leaders.

GlobalDWS-Executive-Briefing-LTC-Documentation-Burden.pdf

Download PDF • 186KB

Review Video of our Webinar

Reduce Documentation Burden, Increase Time for Care: AI in Long-Term Care

On August 17th, 2026, GlobalDWS and Meighen Health shared highlights from our collaboration to reduce documentation burden, enable more timely and consistent note-taking, and free up clinician time to be more focused on quality of care for residents.

🔗 View the video recording: https://www.globaldws.com/videos?wix-vod-video-id=c04c4740cc7f4cc59956710db490f923&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-mdiwmcri

If you have questions or would like to initiate a similar project in your home(s), please reach out to our VP of Sales: Lee St. James (lee.stjames@globaldws.com).