Some doctors are betting on AI to fill the care gap
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AI can give people instant answers to their health questions. Doctors' offices can make them wait on hold.
- Guess which one's winning.
Why it matters: Fifteen minutes at a well visit often isn't enough time for doctors to address complex concerns like menopause — leaving patients eager for more complete answers.
- Doctors get that, which is why some are experimenting with AI to supplement care.
Zoom in: Researchers at the virtual medicine program at Cedars-Sinai are developing an immersive AI VR program called MenoZen to help patients manage menopause symptoms. It's not meant to replace clinicians but instead to supplement support using evidence-based research and education, researcher Karisma K. Suchak tells Axios.
- Participants in the early testing phase of the experience used Apple Vision Pro to speak to a robot-like avatar that serves as a type of cognitive behavioral therapist.
- The intrigue: During sessions, patients may be transported to a snowcapped mountain while discussing hot flashes.
Some AI tools in the menopause care space are already showing promise.
Case in point: Heather Hirsch, the doctor who founded The Menopause Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital and author of "The Perimenopause Survival Guide," has been working with Nihar Ganju, an OB-GYN and computer scientist, on a mobile app called Flourish, which provides educational content and AI-assisted consultations for the fee of a typical co-pay, $42.
- It's currently available on iOS and Android, and users can chat with the AI (programmed to sound like Hirsch) about their symptoms and ask any questions they have. When the AI suggests a treatment plan, real doctors must approve it. So far, the AI is promising, Ganju tells Axios.
- The way it operates isn't unlike a resident assessing a patient before the doctor signs off on the plan, except this "resident" can talk to patients all day long.
What we're watching: Medically backed AI tools could arm people with more sound resources in an era flooded with misinformation.
