I am comfortable around technology, but I wouldn’t consider myself a techie. I rarely use Siri on my phone. I can never remember which buttons are supposed to be pushed on the iPhone 13 to get her to come on. But I used her a ton during the infamous spring break drive to Florida in 2017! I drove my three kids: 6-year-old twins and a 4-year-old from the Chicago area to Orlando by myself. “Are we there yet?” started about two hours into the trip. By the time we hit Georgia, I was the one who kept asking Siri, “Are we there yet??!?!” to get an ETA on the conclusion of that drive.
The authors of “AI in the clinical laboratory: Fact or science fiction?” (pg. 22) use ChatGPT as an illustration in the beginning of their article to explain the differences between artificial intelligence and machine learning for us. Their article then goes much deeper into artificial intelligence and machine learning in the clinical laboratory.
However, their example stuck out to me. Even though more than 100 million people are using ChatGPT,1 I was not one of them. So, I set out to learn a little more about this “new thing.” I found an interesting article on Forbes written by a “world-renowned futurist, influencer, and thought leader in the fields of business and technology” titled, “Revolutionizing healthcare: The top 14 uses of ChatGPT in medicine and wellness.”2 A summary of some of these uses is as follows:
- Virtual assistants for telemedicine: A virtual assistant to help patients schedule appointments and manage their health information.
- Clinical decision support: Provide real-time, evidence-based recommendations to healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes.
- Medical recordkeeping: Generate automated summaries of patient interactions and medical histories.
- Medical translation: Provide real-time translation services to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers.
- Medication management: Help patients manage their medications, including reminders, dosage instructions, potential side effects, and drug interactions.
- Patient triage: Triage patients by asking them questions about their symptoms and medical history to determine the urgency and severity of their condition.
- Remote patient monitoring: Monitor patients remotely by analyzing data from wearables, sensors, and other monitoring devices, providing real-time insights into a patient's health status.
I just downloaded Chat GPT on my phone. Right off it has the disclaimer that “ChatGPT may provide inaccurate information about people, places, or facts.” I asked it a burning question of mine: “What is the best face cream for middle-aged women?” (LOL) I wasn’t too impressed with the answer. Look for hydration (duh), anti-aging benefits (duh), sun protection (duh), and then it ended with advising me to go to a dermatologist for a personalized (i.e., good) recommendation.
Are we there yet? Probably not, but a lot of exciting changes are in the future.
I welcome your comments and questions — please send them to me at [email protected].
REFERENCES
1. Milmo D. ChatGPT reaches 100 million users two months after launch. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/02/chatgpt-100-million-users-open-ai-fastest-growing-app. Published February 2, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2023.
2. Marr B. Revolutionizing healthcare: The top 14 uses of ChatGPT in medicine and wellness. Forbes. Published March 2, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/03/02/revolutionizing-healthcare-the-top-14-uses-of-chatgpt-in-medicine-and-wellness/?sh=1ed5f1c76e54.
