Doctors worry as patients rely on AI for drug prescription

Public health physicians are worried about the growing reliance on artificial intelligence for medical needs and drug prescriptions among Nigerians and warned that such practice could expose patients to serious health risks.

The medical practitioner cautioned that while artificial intelligence could enhance efficiency and provide valuable insights into patient management, it lacks the understanding of individual patient needs that a human doctor possesses.

 The physicians emphasised that factors such as medical history, allergies, and psychological nuances could greatly influence treatment efficacy, insisting that AI might overlook these critical elements, while its potential for algorithmic bias raises concerns about equitable care.

 They pointed out that AI should serve as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement, emphasising the importance of human judgment in ensuring safe and effective patient care.

Recall that the public health practitioners, under the aegis of the Health Promotion and Education Alumni Association, Ibadan College of Medicine, had cautioned Nigerians against relying on AI for self-diagnosis and medical prescriptions, stating that such practices might be harmful to humans.

 The professionals decried the increasing incidence of people consulting the Internet instead of qualified medical practitioners for healthcare needs, warning that medications prescribed by AI or sourced online might not take into consideration the medical history of patients, and therefore, could cause more harm than good.

 The President of the Association, Dr. Bright Orji, who spoke at the opening of a two-day Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the HPEAAICM, themed ‘Artificial Intelligence and Innovations in Public Health,’ in Ibadan, said Al had come to stay, hence there was a need for moderation in its usage, particularly for public health consumers and practitioners alike.

 “The reason we want to do this is so that everyone is well aware of what to do. You can observe that even social media is being misused and abused. So, it’s important that there is a lot of information, and of course, disinformation, in the age we live in today,” Orji added.

Some experts who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise cautioned that although AI might present many opportunities that could be harnessed, public health consumers and practitioners must be aware that Al could hallucinate and create what doesn’t exist.

 They warned that individuals should not see Al as all-knowing and it cannot replace professionals.

 An Epidemiologist and Professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Tanimola Akande, said reliance on AI for drug prescription was not advisable.

 He noted that, in addition to the symptoms that patients report, there were other signs revealed during a physical examination that AI could capture.

Akande said, “Reliance on AI for drug prescription is not advisable. There are other symptoms of diseases that the patient can report, that are elicited by doctors during physical examination of the patient that AI cannot provide.

 “In addition, AI will not be able to determine the results of tests or investigations used in arriving at a diagnosis. Doctors also take into consideration a lot of other contextual factors in determining how best to treat a patient. This cannot be done effectively through AI.”