ChatGPT's impact on healthcare: An AI powered allied health assistant

Introduction

In today's digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming various sectors, including the healthcare industry. One AI model making significant strides in healthcare is GPT-4 delivered using ChatGPT. This AI tool, along with other technologies like document vector embeddings, AI-powered editors, and audio transcriptions, is an allied health assistant onto itself. This article explores how ChatGPT works, its impact on healthcare, its benefits in report writing, and how it can be integrated with other tools. We also discuss the privacy concerns associated with its use.

• How ChatGPT Works
• Impact on Healthcare
• Benefits of Using AI Tools like ChatGPT in Report Writing
• Combining AI tools with other technologies
• Privacy Concerns
• Everbility : A privacy focussed allied health assistant
• Conclusion

How ChatGPT Works

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, uses machine learning to generate human-like text. It's a variant of the GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) model, which is trained on a diverse range of internet text. However, unlike its predecessor, ChatGPT is fine-tuned with human supervision.

The model takes a string of text as input and predicts the next word based on the context provided by the previous words. This process is repeated to generate a full sentence or paragraph. The result is an AI tool that can write coherent and contextually relevant text, making it an invaluable asset for allied health assistants and other healthcare professionals.

Impact on Healthcare

ChatGPT's impact on healthcare is profound. Its ability to generate human-like text has made it a valuable tool for healthcare professionals, making it an apt allied health assistant. It can be used to write detailed patient reports, medical histories, and treatment plans, saving professionals valuable time and effort.

Moreover, ChatGPT can be used for patient communication, providing personalized responses to patient queries, thereby enhancing patient experience. It can also be used for health education, providing accurate (when combined with the professional's clinical reasoning) and understandable information on various health topics.

Benefits of Using AI Tools like ChatGPT in Report Writing

There are several benefits of using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in writing health reports.

• These tools significantly improve efficiency. Allied health professional often have to write lengthy, detailed reports, which can be time-consuming. With AI, they can generate comprehensive reports in less time, allowing them to devote more time to patient care. It is almost like having a very proficient allied health assistant who specializes in report writing.

• AI enhances accuracy when combined with the clinical judgement of the professional using it. Machine learning capabilities enable these tools to generate precise and contextually relevant text while searching through large swaths of texts, reducing the likelihood of errors. This accuracy is crucial in healthcare, where even minor mistakes can have significant consequences.

• AI can improve consistency. By using these tools, allied health assistants can ensure that all reports follow a consistent format and style, enhancing their professionalism and readability.

• AI tools have the ability to search over a large number of documents, enabling healthcare professionals to quickly locate and reference relevant information. This feature is particularly beneficial in healthcare, where patient histories, research papers, and clinical guidelines are often spread across numerous documents. With AI, healthcare professionals can easily navigate this sea of information, improving their ability to provide informed care.

• AI tools can be used to generate insights from data. They can analyze patterns and trends in patient data, helping healthcare professionals make informed decisions about patient care. This ability to generate insights from data makes AI tools a valuable addition to the healthcare industry.

If you harness the power of AI tools like ChatGPT, you can have your own allied health assistant who can help you write reports, saving you time and effort. This will allow you to focus on what truly matters - patient care.

Combining AI tools with other technologies

AI tools can be combined with other technologies to further enhance their capabilities, effectively posing AI as an invaluable allied health assistant.

• Document search, powered by vector databases, can be used to help GPT understand the semantic meaning of words, improving the accuracy of AI's text generation. This can be particularly useful when writing complex medical reports that require a deep understanding of medical terminologies and their contextual relevance.

• AI-powered editors can also be used alongside AI tools to ensure the quality of the generated text. You can instruct these editor like you would instruct an allied health assistant and they will search over patient documents to write a report. This will ensure that the generated text is accurate and contextually relevant. These editors can also be used to edit the tone and style of the generated text, making it more readable and professional.

• Audio transcriptions can be integrated with AI tools. This technology converts spoken words into written text, which can then be processed by AI. This is particularly useful in situations where allied health professionals need to quickly document patient interactions or observations. By converting audio into text, AI can help allied health professionals create detailed and accurate reports, even when they are under time pressure. It is like having an allied health assistant who can take notes for you.

Privacy Concerns

While AI tools like ChatGPT and other technologies offer numerous benefits, they also raise significant privacy concerns. In the context of healthcare, where sensitive patient data is handled, these concerns are particularly acute.

By default, when using ChatGPT, the data entered is used to improve the model. This means that any information inputted into the system is potentially used to train and fine-tune the AI, which could raise concerns about patient confidentiality. If you are using ChatGPT as an allied health assistant, make sure you de-identify the data before entering it.

Moreover, when using ChatGPT with chat history and data turned off, or when using the API, the data is retained for 30 days for misuse and abuse prevention. While this measure is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the system and preventing misuse, it does mean that sensitive data could be stored for up to a month, further exacerbating privacy concerns.

These factors mean that, as it stands, ChatGPT is not HIPAA compliant. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data in the United States. Any company that handles protected health information must ensure that all the required physical, network, and process security measures are in place and followed, something that is not guaranteed with ChatGPT.

Everbility : A privacy focussed allied health assistant

Unlike ChatGPT, Everbility, in partnership with OpenAI, does not retain data for any length of time or use it for training. This means that any data entered into the system is not stored or used to improve the AI.

Furthermore, Everbility has a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with OpenAI, ensuring that all necessary safeguards are in place to protect patient data. This makes Everbility a HIPAA compliant solution in addition to being compliant with Australian Privacy Laws, making it a preferable choice for healthcare professionals concerned about data privacy.

Conclusion

The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT in healthcare is revolutionizing the way healthcare professionals work. When used correctly it is like having an allied health assistant that is available to help you 24x7. These tools not only improve efficiency and accuracy but also enhance the quality of patient care. However, as their use becomes more widespread, it's crucial to address the associated privacy concerns to ensure the safe and ethical use of these technologies.