ChatGPT and Healthcare: How AI Chatbot Could Change Patient Experience?
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot, has become popular in various sectors, including education, real estate, content creation, and healthcare. It was released by OpenAI in December 2022 and is known for its ability to provide detailed and accurate information to user's health-related queries in seconds, making it better than search engines.
However, healthcare experts warn that ChatGPT has limitations, and it should not be used as a substitute for a physician's care. ChatGPT's responses are based on internet data that can be misleading and should be vetted by a doctor. Additionally, the chatbot's source of data is only up to September 2021, and it has limitations in terms of serving up more recent information.
Dr. Justin Norden, a digital health and AI expert and adjunct professor at Stanford University, considers that ChatGPT is far more powerful than Google and provides compelling results. However, he warns that there is a growing amount of inaccurate information, and dependence on chatbots could expose people to false information.
Despite its limitations, ChatGPT has potential use cases in healthcare, such as administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and refilling prescriptions. However, the implementation of chatbots should be carried out carefully to ensure their reliability.
The experts agree that ChatGPT cannot replace a therapist's role, and it lacks the empathy and nuance that a human doctor would provide. However, given the current shortage of mental health providers and long wait times to get appointments, people may be tempted to use AI as an interim support.
ChatGPT does not have the capability of making prescriptions or offering medical treatments. It can only be used to help explain complicated medical concepts in simple terms. Patients can use the chatbot to get information about medications they are taking or considering taking, including side effects, drug interactions, and proper storage.
Overall, healthcare professionals believe that ChatGPT can potentially change the patient experience but should never be used as a substitute for physician care. Its implementation in healthcare should be carried out carefully to ensure that it provides reliable results to users.
