UK healthcare communication provider urges private businesses to choose person-led comms over the easy AI-generated options.
A recent survey of UK general practitioners highlights that one in five GPs currently use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in their clinical practice, including for diagnoses and patient correspondence. Nearly a third of those surveyed (29%) added that they use AI tools to generate documentation after patient appointments, or even to suggest different diagnoses.
This survey comes from the clinician marketing service Doctors.net.uk, as reported by the BMJ, with a sample size of 1000 participants. Their findings signal that GPs may derive value from these tools, particularly with administrative tasks and to support clinical reasoning.
However, it is no secret that AI large-language models tend to generate incorrect information, in addition to inaccuracies or worsening racial, gender and disability inequalities in healthcare, as well as risks to patient privacy and data security. GPs turning to AI tools may seem like a short-term fix, but ultimately can lead to long-term problems, not just for the quality of healthcare but also reputational damage in the eyes of patients.
“These findings are no surprise for those already aware that the UK healthcare industry is under immense strain already,” comments Neil Davies, Managing Director at Cymphony, a leading UK healthcare communications provider. “Growing healthcare demands and strained resources can lead GPs to cut corners, with the patient experience no doubt suffering as a result. Administrative support is needed, not just for public care but also for the private sector as well.”
“The NHS is failing, especially in the eyes of UK patients seeking quality care, quickly. This has led more customers to turn to private clinic options, but this again puts greater pressure on private healthcare professionals who must manage both the care and business sides at once. If GPs are turning to AI tools to streamline operations, private clinics are sure to be doing the same to meet even greater demands and expectations of premium care.
Neil believes for healthcare to stop cutting corners with ineffective AI tools, third-party support for communications and administrative tasks is essential.
“Being able to trust in an administrative partner is key to shore up any gaps. If a healthcare practitioner is turning to ChatGPT for patient relations, it comes down to strain on admin resources and time pressure to meet demands for potentially hundreds of patients a day. Reliable, professional contact and communicators exist, especially within the healthcare sector where they are even more crucial. So, instead of letting doctors lead patient communications, a full-time communicator can be trusted to cater to all patient needs.”
“In addition, a dedicated communications provider can go one step further and aid in driving business innovation. Data-led communications are a staple for driving and improving operations, but current healthcare businesses often don’t have the resources or expert insight available to make these meaningful decisions.
“This can be apparent with things as simple as call line availability – without out-of-hours lines, businesses don’t even realise they are missing out on potential clients due to missed calls. One active line can only pick up so many inquiries and with no record of what they’ve missed, clinics may be missing an untapped market.
“Similarly, the rise of ChatGPT and other AI tools with clinicians has been attributed in part to healthcare practitioners chasing their own appointments. Missed correspondence is a loss of business, but trusting entirely to a less-than-reliable AI tool could mean that mistakes arise anyway to drive away customer trust. A partnered provider can ensure nothing slips through the cracks, with a level of tailored customer care that just can’t be generated by a chatbot.”
