Can ChatGPT improve communication in hospitals?

Abstract

Hospitals’ use of communication is a crucial aspect of patient care, yet medical material is often hard to read and understand for patients. Issues related to lack of standardization, use of jargon, reliance on outdated technology, poor coordination between health personnel, and shortage of healthcare workers lead to miscommunication, delays, and errors in patient care. By improving communication, hospitals can improve patient care and outcomes, and perhaps lower costs. This opinion piece compares current communication methods with the use of ChatGPT technology to explore whether ChatGPT can improve the efficiency and accuracy of communication in healthcare settings and, hence, improve patient care. While natural language processing (NLP) tools such as ChatGPT and other artificial-intelligence-generated content (AIGC) have tremendous potential to be very useful in healthcare, they should not be solely used as a substitute for humans and should therefore be used with caution.