And it’s not just lab tests and bloodwork. Physicians use all their senses. They poke, they prod, they manipulate, they look, listen, and smell.

They’re also good at extracting information in a way that (at least currently) sycophantic LLMs don’t replicate.

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caturopath 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Physicians use all their senses. They poke, they prod, they manipulate, they look, listen, and smell.

Sometimes. Sometimes they practice by text or phone.

> They’re also good at extracting information in a way that (at least currently) sycophantic LLMs don’t replicate.

If I had to guess, I think I'd guess that mainstream LLM chatbots are better at getting honest and applicable medical histories than most doctors. People are less likely to lie/hide/prevaricate and get more time with the person.

	▲	sarchertech 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Sometimes. Sometimes they practice by text or phone. For very simple issues. For anything even remotely complicated, they’re going to have you come in. > If I had to guess, I think I'd guess that mainstream LLM chatbots are better at getting honest and applicable medical histories than most doctors. People are less likely to lie/hide/prevaricate and get more time with the person. It’s not just about being intentionally deceptive. It’s very easy to get chat bots to tell you what you want to hear.

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dimitri-vs 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Agreed, but I'm sure you can see why people prefer the infinite patience and availability of ChatGPT vs having to wait weeks to see your doctor, see them for 15 minutes only to be referred to another specialist that's available weeks away and has an arduous hour long intake process all so you can get 15 minutes of their time.

	▲	sarchertech 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		ChatGPT is effectively an unlimited resource. Whether doctor’s appointments take weeks or hours to secure, ChatGPT is always going to be more convenient. That says nothing about whether it is an appropriate substitute. People prefer doctors who prescribe antibiotics for viral infections, so I have no doubt that many people would love to use a service that they can manipulate to give them whatever diagnosis they desire.

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ekianjo 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> They poke, they prod, they manipulate, they look, listen, and smell.

Rarely. Most visits are done in 5 minutes. The physician that takes their time to check everything like you claim almost does not exist anymore.

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whatsupdog 9 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Here in Canada ever since COVID most "visits" are a telephone call now. So the doctor just listens your words (same as a text input to an LLM) and orders tests (which can be uploaded to an LLM) if they need.

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zamadatix 9 hours ago | parent [-]

For a good 90% of typical visits to doctors this is probably fine.

The difference is a telehealth is much better at recognizing "I can't given an accurate answer for this over the phone, you'll need to have some tests done" or cast doubt on the patient's accuracy of claims.

Before someone points out telehealth doctors aren't perfect at this: correct, but that should make you more scared of how bad sycophantic LLMs are at the same - not willing to call it even.

	▲	caturopath 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> telehealth is much better at recognizing "I can't given an accurate answer for this over the phone, you'll need to have some tests done" I'm not sure this is true.

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sarchertech 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That depends entirely on what the problem is. You might not get a long examination on your first visit for common complaint with no red flags.

But even then just because you don’t think they are using most of their senses, doesn’t mean they aren’t.

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lukan 7 hours ago | parent [-]

It depends entirely on the local health care system and your health insurance. In germany for example it comes in 2 tiers. Premium or standard. Standard comes with no time for the patient. (Or not even being able to get a appointment)

	▲	sarchertech 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I don’t know anything about German healthcare. In the US people on Medicaid frequently use emergency rooms as primary care because they are open 24/7 and they don’t have any copays like people with private insurance do. These patients then get far more tests than they’d get at a PCP.