AI symptom advice prompts questions at pharmacies

Laura Rheinberger, owner of Blooms The Chemist in Mudgee, regional NSW, says more customers are coming in after using AI to research symptoms and what they might mean.[1] Some ask pharmacy workers whether chatbot diagnoses are legitimate.[1] The most common queries come from concerned parents of young children and people struggling with sleep.[1] Rheinberger says customers often check AI advice against the expert opinion of her pharmacy team.[1] She has also used AI chatbots herself for advice on soothing her newborn at night.[1]

Sarmah says patients seek convenience from AI advice, describing it as “sugar hits”; he says that convenience can sometimes help but can also create bigger problems later.[1] He says AI relies on pattern recognition, while medicine also involves variations that do not fit one pattern.[1] His practice is seeing more patients who have already used AI to learn about their condition.[1] Sarmah warns that bypassing a GP and interpreting algorithm-provided information can be dangerous.[1] He says people should be mindful as AI’s use in healthcare develops, and that healthcare professionals remain best equipped to interpret data in the context of patients’ needs.[1]

Sarmah describes a man in his 30s who booked an appointment after a bout of diarrhoea.[1] The patient had assumed, after consulting AI, that he had caught a stomach bug at work, where he travelled overseas frequently, and had taken over-the-counter anti-diarrhoea medication before seeing Sarmah.[1] Tests found the patient was anaemic, and he was ultimately diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.[1] Sarmah says the case showed that diarrhoea AI might attribute to gastro could have a more serious cause.[1] Rheinberger also says sleep problems can range from everyday stress to obstructive sleep apnoea, and that professional advice is particularly important when a case is not straightforward.[1]