This week's BMJ has an Editor's Choice by the editor-in-chief Kamran Abbasi, on 'AI, humans, and evidence: a vision of a better future, with caveats'
The conclusion: 'The magic bullet is smart AI, wise humans, and trustworthy evidence working in technological harmony.'
https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r987
One aspect that is particularly interesting is the increasing use of “ambient scribe” tools that help clinicians with consultations, allowing doctors to focus on talking to patients without being distracted by note taking (doi:10.1136/bmj.r663).5 The response is generally positive across a range of settings.
“As a GP, the main thing I’ve noticed is that I’m able to focus entirely on the patient when they’re in the room with me,” says Ratcliffe. “I can listen more intently and pick up non-verbal cues, which are important in the GP setting. The patient encounter is much more relaxed and there’s a better connection because I’m not having to make notes as we go along.”
https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r663
If an "ambient scribe" can help clinicians, can it do the same for patients? Can we imagine a future when a clinical consultation is automatically summarised for both the health worker and the patient?
Indeed, might it be possible for the summary to be subsequently processed by AI to identify any errors, any omissions, any ways in which the consultation might have been improved? One can even imagine an AI assessment of every clinical consultation, giving a score out of 10 for quality (and other characteristics).
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org