The perfect storm: 'We should be worried'

‘We should be worried’

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are showing up in the exam room, sometimes before the physician does.

Medical Economics asked Rosemarie Aznavorian, D.N.P., RN, CENP, CCWP, CCRN, executive vice president of client services and chief clinical officer at MedPro Healthcare Staffing, how concerned physicians should be about patients using these tools as a substitute for care rather than a complement to it. "We should be worried, and we need to be acutely aware," she said.

The scenario she describes is already familiar to many clinicians: a patient arrives having consulted ChatGPT or a similar tool, having worked through a self-directed checklist and arrived at a diagnosis of their own. When the clinical picture turns out to be different, that can create a difficult conversation. Patients expecting one answer may be unprepared and resistant when they receive another.

Aznavorian's guidance for navigating those moments is less about correcting the technology and more about meeting the patient where they are. People turning to AI are trying to understand what's happening to their bodies, manage anxiety and, in many cases, avoid a costly or inconvenient visit if they can.

"We need to be aware of that and not be judgmental when we're talking to patients," she said. "The key is not to be judgmental when you're asking questions."