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The other day, I believe I was bitten on the arm by an insect, which left a fairly large red blotch with a couple of small puncture marks. I assumed it happened while working in our yard. I bought some over-the-counter hydrocortisone to apply to it. After a week, though, it started to look more like a rash.
I decided to visit a walk-in clinic. The physician assistant examined it and advised me to mix hydrocortisone cream with Benadryl cream and cover the area with plastic wrap twice a day. I was also given a prescription for antibiotics to take if the redness didn’t improve within a day.
My wife had doubts about that treatment plan. She immediately went to her laptop and typed the situation into ChatGPT. The AI advised against mixing the two creams and warned that wrapping the area with plastic could trap moisture and worsen the irritation. Instead, it recommended continuing with hydrocortisone cream and mentioned stronger topical corticosteroids like triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% and clobetasol propionate as possible prescription options.
The next morning, I called my dermatologist, not expecting to get in before our trip next week. But as luck would have it, there was a cancellation that morning.
Dr. Olson examined the area and prescribed triamcinolone acetonide—one of the medications ChatGPT had suggested. He also told me I didn’t need the antibiotics the walk-in clinic had prescribed. After about a week of using the new medication, the red blotch cleared up.
ChatGPT can be helpful for information, but it shouldn’t replace medical advice. That said, I do believe AI can help make doctors better, leading to improved care for their patients.
We’ve already seen how the internet has made healthcare more accessible and connected. Patients can quickly research symptoms, access test results, and communicate with doctors through telemedicine and online portals.
I remember visiting my primary care physician in the 1970s for stomach pains. He asked if I was taking any medication. I told him I was—something for a foot ailment. He pulled out a thick reference book, looked up the medication, and concluded it was causing my pain. I was thankful that drug was listed in his book, because back then there was no internet to offer quick access to that kind of information.
Can AI further the advancement of medical care? I believe it can—and already is. It can read scans with remarkable accuracy, assist in analyzing tissue samples, and flag abnormalities faster than traditional methods. It can even help reduce billing errors and prevent fraud.
AI isn’t a replacement for doctors, but it can help them make faster, better decisions. My recent experience showed that when used wisely, AI can be a valuable part of modern healthcare—and a helpful second opinion.
I am having a similar experience. I noticed three red bumps on my arm that I attributed to bug bites. After a week with the bumps starting to spread, I went to Urgent Care and received a prescription for Mupirocin ointment. This seemed to make the problem worse. I returned to Urgent Care and saw a different doctor. He prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide and an oral antibiotic. Not sure if this is working yet, and still do not know what the cause is. Next stop will likely be a dermatologist.
Get into the habit of asking about your “doctor’s” credentials.
A Physician Assistant (or nowadays Associate, for PC reasons) or an APRN are NOT physicians. Don’t expect them to be good at diagnosis, or treatment, or generally anything beyond their basic daily work. Their training and knowledge base are much inferior to physicians’, regardless of what they say.
You want credentials like MD, DO, MBBS. That’s a real doctor, not a “provider” playing doctor.
I strongly disagree. I have received superb care over the years from PAs and nurse practitioners, and experienced specialty nurses often have more knowledge about day-to-day health issues than the physicians they work for. These people are not “playing doctor” and I find such a characterization unnecessarily derisory.
It’s fine to ask about credentials, but dismissing PAs and APRNs as “playing doctor” is misleading. They’re licensed, trained professionals who provide high-quality care—often with outcomes similar to MDs.