Could artificial intelligence replace doctors?

[marigold22]

bbc.co.uk/news/av/technolog...

Yes - it would make a massive improvement. The robot is passing medical exams with a higher pass mark than human doctors! The doctors do not like this idea - that will teach them to treat us like they do.

[shaws Administrator]

Artificial Intelligence might be far better than any intelligence regarding the diagnosis and treatment of dysfunctions of the thyroid gland than doctors or endocrinologists.

So many return from consultations/appointments devasted that they have wasted their time in having fruitless consultations when they've placed all their hopes in getting someone who knows and aknowledges relief of their symptoms is the most important.

[greygoose]

Well, some form of intelligence would be nice.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Not necessarily - they'd just program them with the same NICE guidelines, so no Free T3 test, no levo until TSH over 10 - laxatives for constipation, a gym membership for weight loss and anti-depressants for low mood as nothing wrong with thyroid. Algorithm would say that central hypo was really rare, so no point referring with low TSH and low free T4 - and there'd be no one to reason with. How is that better?

[humanbean in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I agree with you, A-o-t-N.

At least with a human doctor patients can present information and sources for why the doctor should treat them. And doctors don't all act identically, so it may be possible to find one that works in a way that is better suited to the patient.

If AI is used to treat patients they will all work like clones and you can't argue with a machine.

I have read posts on this forum where someone with a TSH of 70 didn't even know they were ill, they felt absolutely fine. There are others of us who can't even get a TSH over the reference range before we feel like death warmed up. How can a machine cope with that problem? Well, the answer is they won't. They'll just deny treatment to the likes of me and many of us here.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to humanbean]

I'd like to add that I work in IT, which is one reason that I wouldn't trust a computer program to treat me. AI isn't magic; it's a decision tree.

[BootsOn in reply to humanbean]

"You can't argue with a machine"... then I'd be tempted to take a sledgehammer to it! 😀

[gabby57]

GP - "No, your TSH is below range, no more medication."

Me - "Ahh, but that's why it's so nice to have a real live GP who can examine me, listen to me & my symptoms & see the levo isn't working."

GP - "You're right, of course, have some T3."

Then I woke up.... :o(