Dr Leslie O’Looney , 2025-05-07 07:30:00
Welcome to this week’s issue of The Week in Medicine – a round-up of all the happenings in the world of Irish medicine
The Medical Protection Society have issued a statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) stating that AI must be usable, useful and safe – not just for the patients, but the clinicians using the technology.
Michael McHale has written about this here.
The comments were made as part of MPS’s response to a consultation by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), seeking views on the development of a national framework to drive and promote a ‘safe and responsible’ approach to the use of AI in healthcare in Ireland.
Bear in mind that AI development is working at incredible speeds, and in many different locations, and therefore under many different ethical standards.
MPS, which represents over 16,000 healthcare professionals in Ireland, said that to realise the ‘incredible opportunities’ for improvements in patient care posed by AI, frontline healthcare professionals need to be confident in its use and safety, and not wary about how it may impact their decision-making and patient care.
Dr Leslie O’Looney, as envisaged by AI
It called on HIQA to ensure the national framework incorporates the need for sufficient training for clinicians on the tools they will be expected to use, clinician involvement in the design and development of the technologies, and for clinicians to regard the outputs from an AI tool as one part of a wider, holistic picture concerning the patient, rather than the most important part of the decision-making process.
You can see the MPS’s full response to HIQA here.
It’s not that unusual that the MPS should take an interest in the development of AI since it will dominate technology and business practices in the coming years. Even at its most basic level – say Grok (which is the AI-enhanced helpdesk on Twitter) a patient now has access to ‘intelligent’ research on the Internet. On their phone. This has implications. We just don’t know yet what they are.
It’s hard for all of us to grasp where the technology will take us. Obviously, there will be ‘shiny new things’ in terms of diagnosis because AI can look at a lot more evidence than a human ever possible could. But we still expect a 100 per cent success rate from a machine, a rate we don’t apply to humans. Will people sue if the machine gets it wrong? How much of the wrong is machine and how much is human?
But, like I said, Grok is in every pocket or purse. If someone with a cold asked you for antibiotics for their cold, you have the option of asking them to ask Grok on Twitter. Grok will reply: “Antibiotics don’t help with a cold, as colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria. They won’t relieve symptoms or speed recovery and may cause side effects etc.” and for the first time, you have confirmation in real time to support your medical opinion.
But you also have a potential patient who has already asked an AI machine for 50,000 words on their condition, read all of that, asked some follow-up questions, and by this stage is more familiar with their condition than you could possibly be, and then they decide to enter your surgery to ask for your opinion.
They already know the best course of action for a 55-year-old female non-smoker, regular drinker with this condition – how can you win other than to provide human confirmation of same? But it’s a different type of process. And whose diagnosis is it in that instance?
Many known unknowns, and quite a few unknown unknowns – no wonder an insurance company want to know all about it.
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Sometimes it’s easier to demonize people than understand where they diverted from whatever standard that is currently the ‘norm’. I have an intense dislike of RFK Jr, because his ignorance may cause people to be ill, or even die. To me, that is despicable. Unforgivable.
But RFK Jr the man is a different prospect. He was in Tennessee at a conference on drugs last week, and he spoke of his own personal experience of becoming addicted.
He revealed that he had taken LSD at a summer party, had intense hallucinations, and then on the way home met ‘some boys in the woods’ who gave him methamphetamine. After taking that, he said, ‘all my troubles went away’ and within three weeks he was addicted to methamphetamine. By September, he was shooting heroin.
When you look at someone’s personal story from that perspective, it natural to be empathetic. But this is also the story of a naïve person who now has a lot of power, and is suggesting ‘placebo’ trials for vaccines.
It’s remarkable how quickly he sunk into a drugs quagmire. And remarkable how quickly he might drag the world into a public health disaster. I have sympathy for the man, but the man’s policies have to go into the dustbin of history.
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Every doctor knows that value of keeping active, so it’s pretty shocking to see that nearly half of all people with asthma feel their condition is a major barrier to getting exercise. Forty-three per cent of people with asthma said that was the case, while 41 per cent said they had reduced their exercise over time because of their condition. Twenty per cent had frequently stopped exercising due to their symptoms and a further 8% had completely stopped exercising because of asthma.
Derval O’Rourke has lived with asthma throughout her sporting career
So fair play to the Asthma Society for a service called ‘Adviceline’, which connects people with a senior physio who can provide personalised guidance on staying active with asthma.
And who better to support a campaign like that but Derval O’Rourke – the Irish Olympian who has lived with asthma throughout her sporting career.
“I know what it’s like to second-guess yourself before training,” O’Rourke said. “But I also know that staying active has helped me manage my asthma, not worsen it. This campaign is about empowering people — whether you’re walking around the block or aiming for a marathon, the support is there.”
Prof Patrick Mitchell
Everyone who signs up for Active for Asthma receives a free 30-minute consultation with a physiotherapist and access to practical resources, including:
- Safe, personalised exercise plans
- Breathing techniques to manage symptoms and anxiety
- Medication advice for active lifestyles
- Guidance for returning to activity after a flare-up
“Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in Ireland, yet it’s often misunderstood,” said Professor Patrick Mitchell, Respiratory Consultant at Tallaght University Hospital and Trinity College Dublin. “People with asthma should be able to participate fully in exercise — even competitive sport — with proper management. If symptoms appear during or after exercise, it may be a sign that the asthma is not well-controlled, not that activity should be avoided.”
“We know that regular activity, done safely, can actually reduce symptoms and improve lung function. That’s why the right education, support and treatment are so important.”
