Technology may be poised to significantly improve the quality of healthcare by providing more compassionate care. A study published in The BMJ foundChatGPT, an artificial intelligence bot, provided better and more empathetic responses than actual doctors when answering patient questions.
The research involved 195 questions and answers sourced from the Reddit forum/AskDocs, where people can ask healthcare-related questions and a panel of five experts with a medical license evaluated the responses against ChatGPT’s answers. It was found that ChatGPT provided better answers 78% of the time. The findings suggest that, with appropriate regulation, ChatGPT can help reduce doctor workloads and potentially help patients achieve better outcomes cost-effectively. In addition, ChatGPT could possibly help patients to keep up with follow-up appointments, stay on track with medications, and understand how to care for their bodies.
However, ChatGPT may not be suited for all areas of healthcare. Two reports published in JAMA Ophthalmology and JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery found the AI bot to be deficient in medical board certification exams. In the former publication, ChatGPT correctly answered just 58 out of 125 questions and with the latter, ChatGPT’s postoperative instructions were hard to understand compared to those of Google Search.
The PUMP Act, which was signed into law on December’s 2020 year-end spending bill, requires employers to provide an accommodation for employees to express breast milk at work. Companies offering virtual lactation consultations hailed the move, as it will boost support for mothers. Willow, a pump company, is partnering with Simplifed, a virtual breastfeeding service, to educate parents about the law and how to talk to their employers about it.
Willow CEO, Laura Chambers, said that the additional help afforded to mothers by the PUMP Act will go a long way in reducing the stresses placed on them upon returning to work. However, it is worth noting that the act exempts companies with fewer than 50 employees if such requirements would prove an undue hardship. This fact has some pushing to further expand the law and ensure wider coverage.
