It's enough to consider that search engines like Google have become synonymous with seeking answers to medical questions, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment options. Moreover, with prostate cancer prevention, the frequent issue of misinformation, the prevalent stigma, and fear surrounding urological examinations lead individuals to rely heavily on the internet for information.1-2
With over a billion health-related searches every day, patients are increasingly turning to the internet for medical advice, this shift is not just a trend; it's indicative of the evolving landscape of patient engagement and education.3 As physicians, we should be aware of it. We have transformed from the image of the plague doctor, with a beaked mask and leeches, to modern providers armed with a wealth of evidence-based knowledge and the latest technology.
Our study's findings highlight that ChatGPT's responses, particularly those from GPT-4, are promising in providing accurate, clear, and succinct answers to complex questions about prostate cancer prevention and screening. Such progress with LLMs marks a significant step toward their use as complementary tools for healthcare providers. The improved readability of GPT-4 over its predecessor means that information becomes more accessible and easier to understand for a broader audience, which is crucial in patient education and empowerment.
However, this advance in technology does not come without challenges. The fact that GPT-4 is a paid service raises concerns about increasing healthcare disparities. As we move forward, we also need to tackle the ethical, legal, and accessibility issues that come with using such advanced AI in medicine. Especially in urology, since in the future, the next generation of patients who will need to undergo screening for prostate cancer are the ones who are now in their 30s (those closer to this technological world).
From our findings, we understood that while LLMs will never replace the vital human element in healthcare, they are poised to enhance the irreplaceable expertise of medical professionals. By keeping up with this trend and understanding its intricacies, we can tap into the power of AI to support informed patient decisions and improve the healthcare experience. The message of our work was not to praise the revolutionary use of LLMs in medicine but to understand how their inevitable spread in everyday use by patients means that we must immerse ourselves in this world to guide and make it scientifically accurate, avoiding errors and misunderstandings. Thus, we should use it as another tool in our arsenal, ensuring that we move beyond metaphorical 'masks and leeches' and progress toward a more informed and inclusive medical future.
Written by: Giuseppe Chiarelli, MD, VUI Center for Outcomes Research, Analysis, and Evaluation, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA, Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.
References:
- A. M. E. P. Naccarato, L. O. Reis, W. E. Matheus, U. Ferreira, and F. Denardi, Barriers to prostate cancer screening: psychological aspects and descriptive variables---is there a correlation?, Aging Male, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 66–71, Mar. 2011
- M. E. Rezaee, B. Goddard, E. F. Sverrisson, J. D. Seigne, and L. M. Dagrosa, Dr. Google’: trends in online interest in prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, BJU Int, vol. 124, no. 4, pp. 629–634, Oct. 2019
- M. Murphy, “Dr. Google will see you now: Search giant wants to cash in on your medical queries,” The Telegraph, Mar. 10, 2019. Accessed: Jul. 12, 2023.