Better customers experience with AI
We have been working on our brand new unFIX EFFECTIVE Series for some time now. This article sheds light on how Lifespan, Rhode Island's largest healthcare system inspired us by leveraging generative AI, specifically GPT-4, to enhance health literacy and improve patient outcomes, particularly through the transformation of complex medical documents into more accessible formats.
Background and Initiative Inception: Dr. Rohaid Ali and Dr. Fatima Mirza, medical residents at Lifespan, initially encountered the potential of ChatGPT during their medical board exam preparations. Recognizing its effectiveness in simplifying complex topics, they pondered its applicability in making medical information more understandable for patients.
Challenges with Surgical Consent Forms: The complexity of surgical consent forms, historically written at a college reading level, poses a barrier to patient comprehension. Given that over half of Americans read at or below a 6th-grade level, there's a significant gap in health literacy. Dr. Ali and Dr. Mirza proposed using GPT-4 to simplify these forms to a middle school reading level, aiming to enhance patient understanding and engagement.
Implementation and Results: Lifespan leadership established a system where GPT-4 initially simplifies the consent forms, followed by legal and medical reviews to ensure accuracy. GPT-4 effectively reduced the word count by 25% and adjusted the reading level to approximately 6th grade. The simplified forms received positive feedback from both physicians and patients, with patients expressing relief at having a concise and understandable document during a stressful period.
Expansion Beyond Surgical Consent Forms: Building on the success of simplifying surgical consent forms, Lifespan extended the use of GPT-4 to streamline other medical documentation, including patient intake forms and chemotherapy consent forms. This broader application aims to improve accessibility to medical information across the healthcare system.
Impact and Future Prospects: Lifespan's initiative has garnered attention within the healthcare community, with the research published in NEJM AI. The collaboration between OpenAI's technology and Lifespan clinicians exemplifies a human-centered approach to transforming medical documentation. The success of simplifying consent forms prompts reflection on the broader potential of AI in enhancing patient outcomes and healthcare accessibility.
In essence, Lifespan's adoption of GPT-4 represents a significant step towards bridging the gap in health literacy and empowering patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Through innovative solutions like simplified medical documentation, Lifespan aims to improve patient experiences and ultimately contribute to better healthcare outcomes.
To delve deeper into how AI can improve customer experience in your industry, explore our pragmatic unFIX EFFECTIVE Series here.
