Integrating A.I. for positive patient outcomes requires input from clinicians 

The rise of artificial intelligence (A.I.) has ushered in new opportunities for how clinical teams identify and achieve positive patient outcomes across various sectors of the healthcare industry. But with these new technologies has come concerns from both clinical teams and patients alike around confidential data, wrongful diagnosis, and more. 

Most recently, ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, has been recognized as a tool to potentially alleviate paperwork for clinical staff and protect against various clinical errors. At the same time, critics fear ChatGPT’s output of information could be misleading or utilize incorrect sources of information to base its predictions or answers. Similarly, Google’s experimental conversational A.I. tool, named Bard, is also getting attention from healthcare professionals. Many have cautioned how patients could rely on the tool for medical advice and receive inaccurate information, especially if the needed appropriate data on both the patient and their symptoms have not been properly considered by the algorithm. 

While A.I. must continue to evolve in order to be seamlessly integrated in healthcare providers’ everyday routines, there are opportunities now for A.I. to support clinicians, but certainly not remove them. The value of A.I. is not just for the clinicians themselves, but also for patients and healthcare institutions as a whole. Clinicians and hospital management teams can better integrate A.I. technologies now to ensure their success in providing positive patient outcomes with education and communication. 

Provide ongoing education around A.I. for clinicians

Clinicians are often not driven by new technology or data analytics alone. Their emphasis and focus is on patient care. Hospitals looking to have their staff better utilize new assets featuring artificial intelligence will find success in ongoing training programs to highlight its supplemental role in their ongoing care efforts with patients. Through regular webinars, on-site training, or virtual coaching, hospital management teams can ensure proper adoption of A.I is occurring throughout the organization. Supplementary data from those technologies, whether it’s a medical device or generative AI tool, will also point to where further education may be required if those assets aren’t being utilized to their fullest by staff members. 

Have clinicians include patients in the A.I. conversation

A recent report from the Pew Research Center revealed 60% of Americans would be uncomfortable with a healthcare provider relying on A.I. for their own healthcare. For clinicians utilizing A.I. for patient care, this distrust can potentially impact outcomes. Clinicians have a role to play in helping patients understand when and how A.I. is being used in their ongoing treatment. For the medical device industry, A.I. is a powerful tool that can point to changes in the patient that may be invisible to the human eye. Consider patient treatment programs in neurorecovery where robotic devices used in physical therapy lean on A.I. to pinpoint any increase or decrease in arm and hand movements when rebuilding neuroplasticity following a neurological event such as a stroke. The support the technology offers the physical therapist is an asset, and one that can be shared with patients in order to report on even the smallest increase in progress during the recovery journey. 

Advancements in artificial intelligence for the healthcare industry will continue. Clinical teams will be at the forefront of how those technologies are utilized for success, and how its effectiveness is communicated to patients. While many continue to question if A.I. will completely replace medical professionals in the future, a more likely scenario is that more clinicians will lean on A.I. to support their patient relationships and their decision-making processes.