As AI continues to transform healthcare, many of us are asking: Should health professionals use generative AI? The answer is yes, but with caution and responsibility.
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and similar models offer immense potential to enhance your productivity, streamline your workflows and support your ongoing education. However, we need to use them ethically, within regulatory frameworks and with proper oversight.
Think of AI tools as a starting point to save you time, not a replacement for your roles and responsibilities.
Understanding generative AI tools
Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, are designed to produce text, images or other outputs in response to user prompts. These tools work by analysing patterns in the vast datasets they were trained on, using advanced algorithms to generate contextually relevant responses.
When you ask a question, the AI doesn’t “know” the answer in the way a human does. Instead, it interprets your input (the prompt) and searches its training data for patterns that match the context of your query.
It then combines this information to create a response that seems coherent and relevant. For example, if you ask about managing diabetes, the AI will draw on medical literature and guidelines within its training data to provide an answer.
For health professionals, crafting clear and specific prompts is essential to get useful results.
A well-constructed prompt can help the AI focus on the right context. For example, asking “Explain how elderly patients with hypertension can manage type 2 diabetes in 300 words” is more effective than a generic “How do you manage diabetes?”
However, generative AI has limitations:
- Training data dependency: The AI’s answers are based solely on the data it was trained on, which may not include the latest medical advancements or nuanced clinical insights.
- Risk of inaccuracies: Responses can sometimes be misleading or completely made up, so all outputs must be carefully reviewed before use.
Appropriate uses of generative AI in healthcare
Generative AI can be a valuable tool for healthcare professionals when applied thoughtfully. Here are some key ways you can use it effectively:
1. Medical education and research
- Summarising complex medical literature and research papers.
- Creating study materials for students and trainees.
- Brainstorming research ideas and structuring outlines for proposals or publications.
2. Administrative efficiency
- Drafting professional emails, reports and documentation.
- Creating patient education materials tailored to different audiences.
- Automating repetitive writing tasks to save time.
3. Clinical decision support (with caution)
- Reviewing general medical guidelines or protocols to aid clinical reasoning.
- Structuring differential diagnoses as a supplementary tool (not as a substitute for clinical judgment).
4. Patient communication and education
- Simplifying complex medical terms into easy-to-understand explanations for patients.
- Generating patient communication content about conditions, treatments or preventive care.
5. Scientific writing and professional development
- Assisting with article drafts, grant proposals or conference presentations.
- Enhancing productivity in scientific writing by generating initial drafts or refining content.
6. Medical education and training
- Outlining workshop agendas.
- Identifying strategies for behaviour change.
Curious to learn more? My AI Prompt Writing for Healthcare course dives deeper into this topic – with dozens more scenarios, prompts and practical examples to explore. These six are just a small sample of what’s possible.
Inappropriate uses and risks of generative AI in healthcare
While generative AI has exciting applications, its misuse can lead to significant risks.
1. Making clinical decisions
Generative AI should never be relied upon to diagnose conditions or recommend treatments; it is not a replacement for professional expertise.
2. Processing patient data
Inputting protected health information into AI tools may violate privacy laws or other global regulations.
3. Generating unverified medical advice
AI models can produce inaccurate or outdated information (hallucinations), which could mislead healthcare providers or patients if not carefully reviewed.
4. Using AI content without review
All AI-generated medical content must be fact-checked by qualified professionals to avoid spreading misinformation or errors that could harm patient safety.
Best practices for safe and responsible AI use in healthcare
Best practices are evolving. To ensure the ethical and effective use of generative AI in healthcare, aim to adhere to these best practices:
- Verify accuracy: Always review and validate AI-generated content before using it in any professional or educational setting.
- Ask for sources and check them: Ask the generative AI tool to list the sources it used to generate the content, then check them yourself.
- Protect patient privacy: Never input real patient data into generative AI tools to comply with privacy regulations like gdpr. Use synthetic data when necessary for training purposes.
- Follow institutional policies: Adhere to your organisation’s guidelines on the use of AI in healthcare environments.
- Stay informed: Keep up-to-date with evolving regulations such as the MHRA standards (UK), EMA policies (Europe) and the EU AI act.
- Prioritise ethics: Ensure that AI applications align with ethical principles such as beneficence (promoting good), nonmaleficence (avoiding harm), justice (fair access) and respect for patient autonomy.
The future of generative AI in healthcare
As generative AI technology continues to advance, its role in healthcare will undoubtedly grow, but so will the need for responsible integration. By embracing generative AI thoughtfully, you can unlock its potential to drive innovation, improve efficiency and enhance patient care without compromising safety or trust.
Want to learn more about the responsible use of AI in healthcare?
Check out our CPD courses:
- Introduction to AI in Healthcare
- AI Prompt Writing for Healthcare
- Using AI to Improve Patient Communication
- Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare
Need more information?
Contact us to learn more about Health AI CPD or join our free course.
