The Rising Use of AI Tools in Medical Research and Diagnostics

AI is no longer science fiction, but a tool that is now quietly transforming medicine from the ground up. From assisting with diagnostics and streamlining documentation to aiding medical education, artificial intelligence has begun playing a paramount role in how clinicians think, work, and care for patients.

One of the more controversial, yet increasingly popular, tools in this AI ecosystem is LLMs, large language models capable of generating text, summarizing research, and much more. While they’re no substitute for clinical judgment, they are beginning to show promise as supportive tools.

Let’s take a closer look.

Medical Research

The complexity of medical literature and the significant amount of time needed to search through scientific journals and databases can be overwhelming for some people. AI, when used correctly, can act as a summarization assistant and a researcher to aid you in this process.

By distilling large volumes of text, suggesting related topics, and helping draft outlines for research papers, AI tools and LLMs offer valuable aid and insight to medical professionals and students.

The output might not be flawless yet, but it does work as a functioning shortcut for brainstorming or finding connections between ideas.

Clinical Documentation

A growing number of clinicians are experimenting with AI tools to help with the communication and documentation process.

Tools like ChatGPT can assist with:

Drafting patient-friendly explanations
Writing initial versions of documentation notes
Translating technical information into layman’s terms for better informed consent

Some hospital settings can be fast-paced, and shaving off a few minutes per patient can give you more time for actual care. And of course, these drafts still require clinician oversight, but they do provide a helpful starting point.

If you want to use ChatGPT or a similar AI tool for assistance but are concerned about privacy and information storage, using a VPN for Chat GPT may give you some peace of mind.

Medical Education and Training

For medical students, residents, and even experienced clinicians learning a new specialty, AI can act as an educated study partner. It’s capable of answering questions, explaining anatomy, and breaking down differential diagnoses in multiple settings.

Some common educational uses include:

Asking AI to explain complex processes in simpler terms, making education more accessible for students from diverse backgrounds and linguistic abilities.
Testing your own knowledge by generating quizzes and evaluations at your current level.
Getting suggestions for anatomy and realistic simulations for practical application.

This sort of AI-assisted studying isn’t a replacement for textbooks or lectures. But it is a flexible, on-demand companion that can easily adapt to the learner’s pace.

AI in Diagnostics

While image recognition tools have been applied to radiology, pathology, and dermatology for years, like the use of AI in echocardiography, text-based AI tools are only starting to explore this space.

In the future, we may see LLMs assist with:

Differential diagnosis based on patient history and labs
Symptom pattern recognition
Flagging inconsistencies in diagnostic reasoning

That said, current models are not ready to be used as independent diagnostic tools. At best, they can be sounding boards, not decision-makers. The risk of hallucinations, bias, and inaccurate output still exists.