ChatGPT: the AI tool for patient communication
Artificial intelligence has been revolutionizing the healthcare system with its innovative capabilities. ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot that provides patients with valuable medical information and guidance. However, it can never be a substitute for a human physician.
According to a recent study, physicians can learn from ChatGPT when it comes to patient communication. Licensed healthcare professionals evaluated responses to approximately 200 medical queries, including the need for medical attention and medical diagnoses. The results indicated that ChatGPT's responses received higher ratings for both quality and empathy when compared to those from physicians. More than a quarter of physicians' responses were deemed to be of less than acceptable quality, while less than 3% of ChatGPT's responses were considered so.
Although ChatGPT's responses were typically much longer than those from physicians, which could impact perceptions of quality and empathy. Experts note that "without controlling for the length of the response, we cannot know for sure whether the raters judged for style (e.g., verbose and flowery discourse) rather than content."
Dr. David Asch, a professor of medicine and senior vice dean at the University of Pennsylvania, noted that while ChatGPT provided comprehensive responses, it was too verbose for his liking. He mentioned that "It didn't sound like someone talking to me. It sounded like someone trying to be very comprehensive." Despite this, ChatGPT is better viewed as a support for doctors than a guide for patients.
Overall, ChatGPT has value and some advantages, including customized responses at diverse literacy levels. It provides direct and detailed answers with the ability to give patients access to immediate information. However, it is not yet ready for patients to rely on entirely, as the guardrails of truth do not exist in the way ChatGPT constructs its answers.
The healthcare system can take advantage of AI technology to advance their systems, with ChatGPT being an example of an AI-powered tool that can assist physicians in patient communication and information dissemination.
