Captivating ChatGPT

Captivating ChatGPT

A doctor’s guide to harnessing the power of AI in medicine, written by Dr Ron Granot (with a little help from ChatGPT).

TIME IS A LUXURY that eludes most physicians, as we juggle patient care, documentation, and the elusive work-life balance. Enter the world of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools, where ChatGPT looks to be a promising aide in the medical field.

DEMYSTIFYING CHATGPT

ChatGPT, a brilliant innovation in AI, is engineered to interpret and generate human-like text. Birthed from the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) family, it is specifically designed for conversational responses. The two-phase creation process—pre-training and fine-tuning—shapes this digital virtuoso. It learns language structure, grammar, facts, and even reasoning through massive text datasets during pre-training, while human-generated conversations refine its aptitude for crafting relevant, coherent responses during fine-tuning.

ChatGPT employs ‘sampling’ and ‘beam search’ techniques to produce diverse and deterministic responses, respectively. In a human-moderated training phase, it is carefully groomed to avoid malicious intents, ensuring responsible behaviour.

UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Transforming notes to letters

Imagine converting point-form notes into articulate, well-structured letters. ChatGPT’s prowess in crafting coherent narratives of patient encounters alleviates documentation burdens, empowering physicians to prioritize patient care.

Crafting email and document templates

Streamline your communication process with ChatGPT-generated email and document templates for various tasks, such as sharing test results or scheduling follow-ups. These customizable templates minimize errors and fit seamlessly into your medical practice.

Summarizing medical research and answering queries

Struggling to keep up with medical research? ChatGPT offers a swift solution by summarizing articles and addressing queries, enabling informed clinical decisions and improved patient outcomes. While ChatGPT has limitations, models like those found at MediChat.au excel in this area.

Customizable GPT Model for Patient Queries

Enhance patient experience and alleviate administrative burdens with a trainable GPT model tailored to provide factual information about your medical practice.

Medical Education

From elucidating complex medical concepts to generating case-based scenarios, ChatGPT serves as an invaluable study aid and clinical reasoning tool for medical students and trainees. It has passed the USMLEs and MKSAPs (scoring 75%), so it has content in it that is appropriate.

THE FLIP SIDE: LIMITATIONS AND CAUTIONS

Hallucinations

Despite its many virtues, ChatGPT may occasionally produce plausible sounding but inaccurate or nonsensical information. These hallucinations are a byproduct of its training process, which emphasises coherence and engagement over strict factual accuracy. These include false journal references, which appear plausible but are non-existent.

Fact-Checking and Untrained Models

To mitigate the risks of hallucinations, verify ChatGPT-generated information with reliable sources and use trained, customized models in medical practice. As with any tool, vigilance and corroboration with established medical knowledge are crucial.

Updating and Data Privacy

Keep in mind that ChatGPT’s knowledge extends only until September 2021, necessitating regular updates and customization. Additionally, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards for data privacy and security is paramount.

EMBRACING THE FUTURE: CHATGPT AS A MEDICAL ALLY

While not a replacement for human expertise, ChatGPT and other NLP models offer a plethora of benefits for medical professionals. Embrace these tools but remember to wield them wisely. Join the conversation and share your ChatGPT experiences, good and bad, at PromptsDoctor.com. Let’s harness the power of AI together and revolutionize medical practice.

References

https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/gpt-3/

https://towardsdatascience.com/how-chatgpt-works-the-models-behind-the-bot-1ce5fca96286

ChatGPT, an AI Expert, and a Lawyer Walk Into a Bar…: The Evolution of Creativity and Communication; Rogers B, Hart T; Hart-Rogers Media; 2023.

Citation: Kung TH, Cheatham M, Medenilla A, Sillos C, De Leon L, Elepaño C, et al. (2023) Performance of ChatGPT on USMLE: Potential for AI-assisted medical education using large language models. PLOS Digit Health 2(2): e0000198. doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000198 https://openai.com/research/gpt-4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Ron Granot is a neurologist with East Neurology, an AMA (NSW) Councillor, and a designer of MediChat.au.