Authored by Damien Adler, Co-Founder of Zanda Health and Registered Psychologist
For many allied health professionals, the biggest AI use case is paperwork. Zanda’s State of AI Adoption in Allied Health 2026 survey of 682 practitioners found that nearly one in five spend nine or more hours each week on clinical documentation. Almost half, 47%, said documentation requirements have increased over the past three years.
AI is moving into everyday workflows where practitioners can see an immediate benefit: less time spent on notes, reports and administrative work.
Paperwork Is Where AI Is Gaining Ground
Across the full survey, practitioners are putting AI to work most heavily in documentation.
Among AI users, 76% use it for clinical note drafting and 72% use it for letters and reports. By comparison, 36% use AI for treatment planning and 24% for admin automation.
The strongest use cases remain focused on the work around care.
Damien Adler, psychologist and co-founder of Zanda, said:“Practitioners don’t need more technology for the sake of it. They need tools that reduce the work around clinical care without taking judgment away from the clinician. If AI can give practitioners time back and help them stay more present with clients, that is where its value becomes real.”
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UK Practitioners Are Moving More Cautiously
The UK data shows slower adoption than the other major markets represented in the survey.
Daily AI use among UK respondents was 15.6%, compared with 25.8% in the US and 32.2% in Australia. The UK also had the largest proportion saying they were not using AI at all, at 35.6%. Zanda notes that country-level findings should be treated as directional because sample sizes vary.
The UK figures show a market still earlier in the adoption curve, while the wider survey shows practitioners concentrating AI use around practical tasks such as documentation and written communications.
Regular Users Are Seeing Bigger Time Savings
Across the full survey, consistent AI use is linked with stronger reported results.
Among daily AI users, 71% reduced their documentation time by at least 26%, compared with 23% of occasional users.
Active technology experimenters reported a similar pattern. Some 66% achieved documentation reductions of 26% or more, compared with 10% of practitioners who use new technology only when required.
For health technology companies, AI needs to fit into the tools and workflows clinicians already use. An extra system to manage adds more work to an already pressured day.
What AI Looks Like In A UK Practice
Zanda has applied the same approach through BizzyAI, its in-platform AI transcription and note-writing tools for allied health professionals. The focus is reducing documentation while keeping practitioners responsible for the final clinical record.
David Goodman, a counsellor in the UK, describes the benefit in practical terms: “For me, the win isn’t AI doing more of the clinical work. It’s having less admin around it. I can give the client my full attention, spend less time writing afterwards and still come back to a clear record before the next session.”
His experience reflects a wider survey pattern. Practitioners are most receptive to AI when it supports their existing workflow and keeps clinical responsibility with the practitioner.
Clinicians Trust AI With Admin More Than Care
The wider survey shows a clear divide between operational and clinical confidence.
Some 61.1% of practitioners believe AI improves efficiency, while only 34.3% believe it improves patient outcomes. Another 44.4% are neutral or unsure about its impact on outcomes.
Practitioners are becoming more comfortable using AI for documentation and administration while remaining cautious about expanding its role in clinical care.
For companies building healthcare technology, adoption depends on solving a clear operational problem while keeping practitioner oversight intact.
The Practical Opportunity For AI In Allied Health
For UK allied health professionals, the priority is clear: reduce documentation, simplify admin and give practitioners more time with patients.
AI is showing its clearest value in the work surrounding clinical care.
The findings come from Zanda’s State of AI Adoption in Allied Health 2026 report, based on responses from 682 allied health practitioners across the UK, Australia, the US and other international markets.
