Why Dr Nuwan Athauda prefers Lyrebird Health

An hour a day.
Every single day.

For Dr. Nuwan Athauda at Ashburton Family Practice, the documentation problem was eating an hour of his life every single day. An hour spent at the end of each day writing notes because he'd prioritised focusing on patients during consults.

"I was spending at least an hour per day on clinical notes, and always leaving late. I never had enough time to write comprehensive notes during the consultation. I like to give the patient my full attention, but that meant I was constantly playing catch-up afterwards. And then staying late to finish everything properly."

"You can either be present with patients or you can document thoroughly, but doing both well was difficult for me. So I chose patient focus over my time, every single day."

A friend's recommendation.

Dr. Nuwan discovered Lyrebird through a friend.

"He told me I needed to try it, and he promised that it would change how I would work. I was skeptical at first because I didn't believe that AI tools would be able to produce notes at a level I would be satisfied with. I didn't actually know that Lyrebird was integrated directly with BP Premier until I used it, which made it straightforward to use, without switching systems."

What convinced him to actually use it in day-to-day practice was the customisation.

"I found out pretty quickly that I was able to customise the notes. I have a specific style when it comes to documentation, certain things I always want captured, and I needed to know Lyrebird would adapt to how I work, and not the other way around."

"The workflows for referrals, mental health care plans, and care plans are genuinely useful. These are the things that take the most time to write properly."

Invaluable almost immediately.

"I adapted within a few days, and Lyrebird became invaluable almost immediately. Within the first week it was already part of my normal routine."

"The biggest thing I noticed right away was the reduction in cognitive load. I wasn't spending the entire consultation trying to remember everything. I was less tired at the end of the day and I finished much earlier, which was incredible."

The notes themselves were what made it stick.

"They were time saving, yes, but they were also accurate and written in my style. If the notes had been generic or didn't sound like me, I would have spent all my time editing them."

"I use Lyrebird every day. I honestly can't imagine going back to the old way of doing things."

What actually changed.

1 hr

Saved per day

The hour that used to disappear into documentation every evening.

2–3

Extra patients per day

Manageable now that documentation is no longer the bottleneck.

Better
notes

Every consultation

Management plans clearer. Decisions faster. Reviews safer.

"The doctors leave happier and earlier, and that's not a small thing. When I'm reviewing the notes, the management plans are so much more precise. Everything's structured and clear."

"The doctors are happier to fit in extras, so we're generally seeing 2-3 extra patients per day now. Before Lyrebird, squeezing in an extra patient meant staying even later. Now it's manageable because the documentation isn't the bottleneck anymore."

The thing that mattered most.

The extra capacity wasn't what mattered most.

"The biggest surprise has been better interaction with patients. When you're not mentally composing notes while someone's talking to you, or worrying about all the documentation you'll need to catch up on after they leave, you can actually be more present."

That shift mattered more to Dr. Nuwan than the time saved or the extra patients.

Why he stayed.

"I looked at other options early on, but Lyrebird was better at customising notes in my style and easier to use because of the integration. Some of the other tools might be fine if you're starting from scratch, but when you have an established workflow and an established way of documenting, you need something that adapts to you."

"I did know that Lyrebird processes and stores data locally, and that's one of the reasons I've stayed with it. Patient confidentiality is non-negotiable, and knowing the data stays in Australia and complies with local regulations gives me confidence that we're doing the right thing by our patients."

What is different now

"I got into medicine to help people, not to write notes. Lyrebird lets me do more of the former and less of the latter — and I actually get to go home."

Dr. Nuwan Athauda

Ashburton Family Practice

His patients get his full attention. And he gets his evenings back.

Dr. Nuwan Athauda

General Practitioner

Ashburton Family Practice · Best Practice