Are you curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) can augment medical writing? Or are you wondering how AI could change the way we approach continuing education for health professionals?
AI tools like ChatGPT are creating waves across many industries, including medical writing. In EP 86 of the Write Medicine podcast, medical writer Núria Negrão PhD discussed how AI may transform aspects of medical writing, but also cautioned about overstating its current abilities.
As advances in AI lead to fears about human jobs being replaced, medical writers and CME/CE professionals are wondering how to adapt. Núria explains key opportunities to enhance your skills and stay ahead of the curve. We take a deeper look at the practical applications and limitations of generative AI in medical writing, offering you valuable insights to enhance your professional toolkit.
Here are the key messages from this episode about using generative AI in medical writing.
- Triangulate your AI viewpoints: AI models with internet access like Bing and Bard can be valuable for providing diverse perspectives on a topic. This is particularly useful in CME/CE for identifying and counterbalancing different viewpoints.
- Use your judgment when using AI: While AI excels in processing large amounts of data quickly, human judgment, especially in higher-level thinking and contextual understanding, is key. AI can assist in identifying missing elements or potential biases in your work, but it's on you to critically assess the relevance and accuracy of AI-generated suggestions.
- AI knowledge limitations: AI's knowledge is limited to what is available on the internet, so you need to be aware that AI might not have information on topics not extensively covered online. Be aware that AI models differ in their specific capabilities and experiment with the questions (prompts) you pose to AI.
- Ethical considerations: When you're using AI, acknowledge its role in the creative process just as you would with human collaborators. This is especially relevant in situations where AI significantly contributes to content creation.
- AI literacy in medical school: Núria advocates for AI literacy in medical education. She argues that understanding AI is becoming increasingly important in various aspects of medicine, from diagnostics to patient communication.
- Keep learning about AI: We all need to learn about the evolving capabilities and guardrails of AI tools on an ongoing basis. Exploring different AI models is key to effectively leveraging AI in medical writing.
