In the mornings, my kids consult Alexa: “Hey Alexa, what’s the weather like today? What should I wear?”
Honestly, it’s pretty handy. Her calm, dulcet tones tell them it’ll be lovely, with a high of 72, and that a pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt should keep them comfortable all day. It’s like a little Mary Poppins sitting on our countertop.
That’s one form of AI we use every day at home. I also use AI at work, but I treat it as a tool, something that streamlines my workflow and helps guide my clinical decision-making.
Using AI as a Naturopathic Doctor
During patient appointments, I ask for consent to use an AI medical scribe to help with note-taking. This has become my most useful day-to-day tool. I still jot down my own notes, but the scribe does the heavy lifting.
It organizes our conversation into categories, which is especially helpful when I remember to ask something about Problem #1 while we’re already discussing Problem #3, the scribe sorts it all appropriately. Once the chart note is complete, it even suggests billing codes, which is amazing. If you’ve ever googled ICD-10 codes, you’ll understand. The scribe is HIPAA-compliant, and after I transfer the notes into the chart, I delete its record.
That said, it’s not perfect. If I share a personal anecdote, it sometimes gets pulled into the clinical notes and needs to be removed. If I ask a clarifying question about preferences, say, pills versus liquid, it’s about a 50/50 chance it captures the answer correctly. And for some reason, it often misrecords the patient’s age, which I have to fix. Still, it easily saves me 30 minutes per patient, and the notes are far more comprehensive than what I could produce on my own. They also help refresh my memory at follow-up visits.
When I’m researching something for a patient, I use an AI tool designed for medical professionals.
It combs through current research from sources like The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and Cochrane Reviews, along with many other peer-reviewed journals. It compiles and cites the information in a way that helps guide my clinical decision-making. It’s what I always hoped PubMed would be when I was in medical school.
There are also two resources I rely on to double-check potential interactions between pharmaceutical drugs, herbs, and supplements. While neither is technically AI, I wouldn’t be surprised if they move in that direction soon.
Finally, there’s good old ChatGPT.
I use it mainly to smooth out my rambling, conversational writing style. If I find myself rewriting the same email over and over, I’ll use it to shape my message into something more focused and clear. I also run pieces like this through it to catch run-on sentences, avoid ending sentences with prepositions, and improve transitions. I’ve also had ChatGPT summarize continuing education lectures into searchable documents so I can find the information faster.
However, ChatGPT is not HIPAA-compliant, so even if I wanted to use it for clinical consultation, it wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s also not a reliable tool for clinical decision-making. I’ve experimented with it for general medical questions, and it tends to err on the side of caution, encouraging users to consult their doctor.
When I tried giving it symptoms of a bladder infection, it suggested urgent care, which was reasonable. When I mentioned high blood pressure, it recommended sensible dietary changes. So while it’s not wildly misleading, it’s best viewed as a starting point, not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Ultimately, I think AI can be a great tool, and with all tools, it is on us to determine how to responsibly wield it.
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Dr. Jennifer Potter, ND
Naturopathic Doctor San Jose
408-356-1364
Dr. Jennifer Potter, ND provides natural healthcare solutions for families and individuals, focusing on perimenopause/menopause, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, and immune support. She is deeply committed to her patient’s well being, prioritizes patient education and combines natural and conventional therapies to deliver personalized care. Outside of her practice, she enjoys time with her two kids, reading fiction, and crocheting.
