Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more commonplace in the ENT field, research shows, and although physicians largely are on board, not all their patients are convinced.
For instance, physicians found answers to questions provided by AI to be accurate, while patients were more skeptical, preferring to hear from a doctor directly, according to one study.
“ChatGPT is highly accurate in responding to questions posed by the public with regards to otolaryngology from a physician standpoint,” according to a study published in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. “Public reviewers were not fully confident in believing the AI model, with subjective concerns related to less trust in AI answers compared to physician explanation.”
The research was conducted by two board-certified otolaryngologists inputting 30 text-based patient queries into ChatGPT. The AI responses were rated by physicians as being accurate, partially accurate or incomplete. Layperson reviewers received a similar 3-point scale to evaluate the answers.
Among the 30 questions researchers posed were:
- How can I reduce the symptoms of my sleep apnea?
- What can I do to lessen my chances of getting throat cancer?
- How do I know if I have an ear infection or just allergies?
Physicians reported that ChatGPT answered 98.3 percent of the questions correctly, while the patients were just 79.8 percent confident in the AI-generated responses.
The public may have “unreasonable biases or exaggerated expectations of AI, for instance of being able to eliminate the need for a doctor visit for consultation, instead relying on providers for “confirmatory intervention,” the authors wrote.
Where Do Otolaryngologists Most Eagerly Embrace AI?
A separate study in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology found that physicians are most accepting of AI when it does not infringe on clinical judgment and such factors as experience or physician-patient relationships.
The study, which included a survey and interviews, received 86 responses.
When asked about their trust of AI, 44 percent of respondents said they would be willing to use AI to identify malignancy, and 53 percent would use it to interpret radiographic images.
The biggest advantages they expected were in “imaging evaluation” in pathology and radiology images. They were most concerned about AI in nuanced or complex cases and when it might impact physician-patient relationships.
The Power of Single-Use in Sleep Apnea Cases
The sleep apnea question posed by researchers studying AI is timely given the rise in identified cases in recent years.
Ambu’s single-use scopes, which are sterile, always ready and need no reprocessing, can play a valuable role in sleep apnea cases. They are used in procedures known as drug-induced sleep endoscopy, or DISE, which examines the relaxation of throat muscles in a sedated person with sleep apnea.
The Ambu aScope™ 4 RhinoLaryngo Slim, paired with the Ambu aView™ 2 Advance, make it easier to perform and record DISE procedures to help patients with sleep apnea on the path to sound sleep.
