Patients ‘more likely to discuss some health conditions with AI than a GP’
New research suggests patients would prefer to talk to a chatbot about some conditions which have a perceived stigma.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Patients are more likely to discuss stigmatising health conditions such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with an AI chatbot than a GP, new research suggests.
A study by the University of Westminster and University College London (UCL) found that people preferred to speak to a healthcare professional about severe conditions such as cancer, but were less inclined to do so when it came to less severe conditions and those with a perceived stigma.
The researchers said the study shows there is a place for artificial intelligence-powered chatbots, particularly when the health issue involves the disclosure of personal information that is challenging.
Our research finds that patients value the opinion of healthcare professionals, therefore implementation of AI in healthcare may not be suitable in all cases, especially for serious illnesses
But they warned that the healthcare sector needed also to recognise the limitations of such technology and only use it in certain scenarios.
The research team said chatbots had become increasingly common in recent years within primary care, as artificial intelligence technology had improved, but they argued this had occurred without sufficient evidence for their feasibility and effectiveness.
“Many AI developers need to assess whether their AI-based healthcare tools such as symptoms checkers or risk calculators are acceptable interventions,” Dr Tom Nadarzynski, lead author of the study from the University of Westminster, said.
“Our research finds that patients value the opinion of healthcare professionals, therefore implementation of AI in healthcare may not be suitable in all cases, especially for serious illnesses.”