Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: As a surgeon, I struggle with explaining procedures to patients in a way that’s easy for them to understand. I’d prefer to not tell them to use a search engine, as that can confuse them more. Could generative AI provide answers to their questions?

South Dakota Subscriber

Answer: Yes, generative AI technology is a great tool for answering your patients’ questions in a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand way. With simple prompts, you can input their questions and receive answers in a few minutes.

Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery presented their findings from their study of how well ChatGPT can explain general questions about surgical procedures in ways that most people can understand.

The researchers inputted nine commonly asked questions about cervical spine surgery into ChatGPT 3.5. Two cervical spine surgery experts, who didn’t design the questions, evaluated the answers for accuracy, readability, and appropriateness. The average scores were as follows:

• Responses: 8.1 out of 10
• Appropriateness: 2.2 out of 3
• Accuracy: 3.9 out of 5

However, researchers did find that the generative AI didn’t provide thorough answers and could leave out critical information. For example, the technology wouldn’t factor in the patient’s preexisting comorbidities when gauging how complex the surgery would be.