Dr. Reisman notes that ChatGPT's answers to patient questions have been rated as more empathetic than those written by actual doctors. This should not be a call for doctors to surrender our human role to A.I. To the contrary, we need to continue to improve our communication skills. The real work consists of carefully listening to patients' responses and crafting words that uniquely address their confusion, fear, and distress.
In my experience, patients know when we are reciting a script, and when we are paying attention to their thoughts and feelings. Unlike A.I., we can reach into the depths of our humanity to feel and communicate empathy and compassion toward our patients.
Mention the words A.I. and doctoring to most physicians in the same sentence, and the immediate reaction is often skepticism or fear. A.I. has shown a remarkable ability to mimic human empathy in encounters with patients, leading many physicians to worry about A.I. replacing doctors.
Techniques are valuable guides in doctor-patient communication, but the essence lies in genuine engagement and connection, which A.I. cannot replicate or replace.
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