AI is transforming everything from medical imaging to patient communication, but what does that mean for clinicians today?

Currently, it seems impossible to avoid artificial intelligence (AI); it dominates news stories, internet search engines, and it’s a hot topic at every healthcare conference I have attended in the past year. AI has the power to transform how clinicians deliver care, but only if it’s used responsibly.
To understand it’s applications in healthcare I connected with different disciplines working in the healthcare system – an IT Director, a Registered Dietitian, and a Marketing Director. I wanted to learn about their own experience with AI and what words of advice they had regarding use by dietitians
and other healthcare providers.

AI Basics
AI comes in different forms and can be defined by either its capabilities, how intelligent or human-like it is, or by its functionality how it processes information and interacts with data. Understanding these basics helps clinicians make informed decisions about which tools are trustworthy
in-patient care.

• Capability refers to it’s overall “intelligence.” Some AI is set up to perform very simple tasks and will not deviate from those tasks. Other AI can “learn”
  as the user provides more information and make real-time adjustments to changing demands or criteria.
• Functionality refers to how it processes information. There are more theorized types of functionalities, but currently only two exist:
  • Reactive machine – AI with no memory of previous interactions with users.
  • Limited memory AI – systems that can use past data and interactions to make better informed responses but with a limited, specific period.

AI does not have consciousness and is not self-aware, at the root of AI is machine learning. Users input data, the machine learns from it,
and crafts responses. Because AI learns from both accurate and inaccurate data, critical thinking is essential, especially in healthcare.

Why Ethics Matter
That last point is what led me to question whether AI use is ethical and safe for use in healthcare. AI can draw from data that is inaccurate, biased,
or outdated, making it crucial to evaluate how it’s used in clinical decision-making.

Professional Perspectives on AI
Once I had a clearer grasp of the basics, I wanted to understand how healthcare professionals actually use AI, and where they draw the line.
So, I turned to other professionals in the healthcare system to gain a better understanding and learn from their experiences.

The first question I posed was how they use AI in their professional and personal life.

• • Timothy Hoffman, the IT Director, shared that at work he utilizes AI routinely to enhance productivity and in his personal life to assist with written documents like emails and other messages as well as assisting in research-heavy decision making like selecting the right insurance.
  • Rory Pace, a Registered Dietitian, shared she uses AI in her work to refine her messaging and pool together useful data.
  • Adriana Ball, the Marketing director, also finds it’s useful to help save time on various projects in and out of work.

 

Balancing Benefits and Cautions

All three professionals have experience with AI, either personally, professionally, or both. So, what do they see as the pros for use in healthcare?

• • • At the top of Timothy’s pro list is productivity. He shares, “AI can take on repetitive tasks that don’t require empathy or human intuition,
      like data entry, form processing, or even aspects of prescription fulfillment.”
    • Rory also acknowledged the benefits for streamlining work and adds future opportunities for diagnostics within healthcare.
      “I have seen fascinating work using image databases to diagnose dialysis access problems, like aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm.”
    • And Adriana who also takes on the critical task of care partner for family members describes the potential benefits for navigating
      health issues, stating it can, “help patients and caregivers better understand their symptoms, and guide decision making
      when access to their medical team is limited.”

On the flip side, they all recommend using caution with Tim summing it up by outlining that, “AI struggles with nuance and subjective judgment…
healthcare literature and patient case interpretation can be influenced by data presentation or inherent bias. If an AI model is trained on skewed datasets,
it can unknowingly amplify those biases. Cultural limitations in training data are also a concern.”

All three of our interviewees encourage practitioners to familiarize themselves with AI while approaching with caution.

• • • Rory explains, “Take time to explore AI tools to better understand what they are, what they do, and how they might be incorporated. Clinicians need to understand what the limitations of these tools are. Understanding the tools and the applications may help clinicians feel more comfortable as opposed to feeling threatened by them.”
    • Tim echoes her sentiments on understanding the limitations and stresses, “Trust but verify. AI is an amazing support tool, but it shouldn’t be followed blindly. Use it as a partner, not a replacement.”
    • And Adriana wraps it up by sharing, “It’s a great supportive tool that may help with time management, early detection, or flagging issues
      that may go unnoticed. However, it should not define care, especially when patient compliance and nutrition is involved.”

The takeaway? AI can be a powerful ally, but only when guided by clinical judgment, ethical guardrails, and patient-centered values.

We thank our guest blogger Maiya Slusser, MS, RDN, CD, CNSC, Director of Research and Education, for sharing her knowledge and writing this blog post. Special thanks to Timothy Hoffman, RPh, MBA, MIS Senior Director of Information Systems & Technology, Rory Pace, MPH, RD, CSR, FAND, FNKF Nutrition Therapy Consultant, and Adriana Ball, Director of Marketing for contributing their professional insights on the role of AI in healthcare.

 

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