Check It Out: Doctors discuss the impact of AI on healthcare
By Joan Janzen
Here are a few funny doctor's notes recorded by medical secretaries: "Discharge status: Alive, but without my permission." Another note read, "The patient was in his usual state of good health until his plane ran out of fuel and crashed." And the final note, "On the second day the knee was better and on the third day, it disappeared."
I recently listened to three doctors discuss their concerns regarding the impact of AI on healthcare and thought I'd share some of the points they made. The three experienced physicians are Dr. Suneel Dhand, Internal Medicine, Dr. Peter Chiotellis, Cardiologist, and Dr. Ben Levin, Primary Care. They listed concerns they potentially see about to happen within the next year or two.
"If you receive healthcare in any western country, please listen," Dr. Suneel began. The first concern they listed was "more rigid protocols." He explained that protocols are instituted for safety so everyone gets the same kind of experience.
Dr. Ben chimed in saying a good doctor knows your body so well he may come up with treatments that may be outside of protocols, but work for you. Some treatments work for individuals because our bodies all function differently. "With AI that will go away," he said.
Dr. Suneel recalled a time when doctors spent five minutes scribbling a prescription and thirty minutes with their patient. "Now it's the opposite; they spend five minutes with their patient and thirty minutes on documentation and medical records."
Dr. Ben said he's concerned that AI may not be a great listener. He said what's needed is a good collaboration of a doctor listening to their patient as well as incorporating AI.
Their next concern was that AI may discourage people with good intentions from enrolling in medical school. Dr. Ben explained that people may be concerned they won't have the ability to have a face-to-face relationship with their patients. "You don't want to discourage the right kind of people," he added.
Dr. Peter said it may result in less access to healthcare if there's a void of future doctors or doctors that have experience. He compared it to using a calculator, and not knowing how to do math without it. "We don't want doctors to be solely AI messengers," he said.
These comments led to their next concern, the potential dumbing down of the medical profession. Dr. Ben noted the healthcare system is chronically overwhelmed, patients move through quickly and accept everything AI suggests. "That concerns me," he said.
"AI generates a plan and 95 percent of the time, the doctor agrees and won't change anything," Dr. Suneel added.
"You need the human touch to understand individuals," Dr. Peter said. He used the illustration of a pilot flying a jumbo jet on autopilot, and asked what happens when the autopilot (or in this case the AI protocol) doesn't work and you have to fly it on your own?
Dr. Peter said he can tell a lot just by how a patient walks, talks and smiles, especially if he's familiar with the patient. "That's something AI could never do," he said.
Their next concern was regarding staffing. "I've seen videos online of hospitals increasingly utilizing remote consultations for things like the ICU and neurologists where you look at a person on a computer screen and interpret their needs. That may extend to AI interpreting their needs," Dr. Suneel said.
They also considered how AI would replace workers. For example, AI could interpret x-rays and just have someone oversee it. Dr. Peter emphasized the importance of having a doctor who can correctly read test results and interpret findings, whereas AI can make mistakes if you're solely relying on that tool.
"This generation feels the need for a balance between human interaction and AI, but the next generation may not feel that way," he mused.
A huge concern for the three doctors was a patient's data being used against them. "This is a huge privacy concern," observed Dr. Ben. The government could scan your medical data, pull all data research and say even though your doctor recommended a treatment that's been working for you for ten years, they can't find data for it so they won't approve it anymore.
They concluded by advising their listeners to eat healthy, exercise, try to stay positive, and do your own homework. "The big mistake I see people making is never questioning medications they're on and allowing them to continue for years," Dr. Ben observed. "With every new medication you should ask why you're on it and is there a way to get off of it."
Dr. Peter agreed saying people think the natural aging process means increased medications and doctors are surprised if a senior isn't on any medications.
They advised everyone to keep researching, speak up when something isn't acceptable and insist on high standards and maintaining humanity in healthcare. "Change comes from you, the patient," Dr. Suneel concluded.