What happened
The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is becoming increasingly prevalent, with some health systems using AI to evaluate nurse productivity and patient care. However, this trend has raised concerns about the potential erosion of human relationships in healthcare. Nurses have pushed back against the use of AI, arguing that it can lead to a fundamental change in the nature of care they provide. In response, the state of California has passed a law requiring healthcare professionals to maintain independent professional judgment and ensuring that autonomous AI does not perform licensed medical work without human oversight.
The federal administration has also taken steps to ease oversight of AI in healthcare, with the Food and Drug Administration making room for clinical decision-support software. However, critics argue that the increased use of AI in healthcare is driving up costs and undermining the human relationship between healthcare practitioners and patients.
Some experts argue that AI can help address healthcare shortages, particularly in rural areas, but others warn that relying on AI could fundamentally change the nature of medicine itself. The American Association of Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036, and some argue that AI could help fill this gap. However, others argue that this would come at the cost of human relationships and the essence of healthcare.
Some medical schools are being created with a focus on in-person, human encounters, and the osteopathic tradition is being promoted as a way to address the current AI challenge. The Catholic Church is also getting involved in building new healthcare institutions, with a focus on training physicians in an art that prioritizes human relationships.
