ChatGPT, the AI language model capable of mirroring human conversation, may be better than a doctor at following recognised treatment standards for clinical depression, and without any of the gender or social class biases sometimes seen in the primary care doctor-patient relationship, finds research published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

ChatGPT, a sophisticated chatbot driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, has been increasingly used in health care contexts, one of which is assisting patients in self-diagnosing before seeking medical help. Although it seems very useful at first glance, AI may cause more harm than good to the patient if it is not accurate in its diagnosis and recommendations.

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio.

Immersive virtual reality - digital technology that allows a person to experience being physically present in a non-physical world - seems to ease the pain and distress felt by patients with cancer, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

Recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP) have ushered in a new era with the emergence of powerful language models, most notably the Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) series, which includes substantial language models such as ChatGPT (GPT-3.5 and GPT-4).

Estimated to become the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. by 2030, pancreatic cancer has a grim prognosis with nearly 70% of patients facing mortality within the first year of diagnosis. Unfortunately, 40% of small pancreatic cancers elude detection on CT scans until they've advanced to an incurable stage.

Scientists at the UCL Institute for Neurology have developed new tools, based on AI language models, that can characterise subtle signatures in the speech of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The research, published in PNAS, aims to understand how the automated analysis of language could help doctors and scientists diagnose and assess psychiatric conditions.