Patients warned against relying on AI for medical diagnoses

Patients should exercise caution when using artificial intelligence to diagnose symptoms or make decisions about treatment, the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (Osak) warned on Tuesday, as doctors also begin examining how AI should be incorporated into medical practice. Osak president Miltos Miltiadous told the Cyprus News Agency that while AI can be useful, patients should not rely on it when deciding whether to take medication or how to manage a medical condition. Asked whether Osak had received complaints relating to patients’ use of AI, Miltiadous said no such cases had been reported. However, he acknowledged that patients frequently turn to AI or the internet more generally when seeking information about symptoms or health concerns. The most reliable source of guidance remains a patient’s personal doctor, Miltiadous said, particularly when assessing symptoms and determining what steps should be taken. Under Gesy, he added, patients also have the option of seeking a second medical opinion if they are not satisfied with the advice they initially receive. Technology itself should not be viewed with fear, he added. Instead, attention should focus on how it can be used properly and without causing harm. The issue is also increasingly occupying the medical community, with the Pancyprian Medical Association recently addressing the use of AI by doctors as part of medical practice. Its president Petros Agathangelou confirmed that discussions have begun within the profession, although he stressed that they remain at an early stage. The debate centres on how AI can be incorporated into medical practice as an assisting tool, rather than as a replacement for doctors’ clinical judgement, as well as on the need to ensure healthcare professionals are properly trained to use the technology. “Technology is useful, but education is needed for its proper use,” Agathangelou told CNA. The aim, he added, should not be for doctors to turn to artificial intelligence simply to obtain quick answers, but rather to use it as a tool that can help provide a more complete picture of the case they are handling.