Gold Humanism essay contest announcement

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2024 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest - The Arnold P. Gold Foundation

Using the following quote, reflect on an experience in any healthcare setting where you or another healthcare team member worked to put the person at the center of care.

“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”
— William Osler

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Here's Chat GPT's entry:

Reflecting deeply on William Osler's profound assertion, I'm drawn to a particularly heartrending experience in a pediatric oncology ward, which illuminated the essence of putting the person—not just the patient—at the center of care. This story revolves around a young girl, Lily, who was battling leukemia. What made Lily's journey unforgettable was not just the relentless fight against her illness, but how her healthcare team, led by a remarkable nurse named Sarah, embodied the art of medicine through compassion and empathy that transcended the conventional bounds of healthcare.

Lily, with her unyielding spirit and infectious smile, faced her diagnosis with a bravery that belied her years. However, the grueling treatment regimen began to wear on her, casting shadows of despair and isolation that are all too common in the lives of long-term pediatric patients. It was in this crucible of suffering that Sarah, a pediatric nurse with an extraordinary heart, stepped in to make a difference that would illuminate the dark corridors of Lily's journey.

Sarah recognized that Lily's battle was not just against leukemia but also against the profound loneliness and fear that accompany such a harrowing journey. She saw Lily not as a case number or a medical puzzle to be solved but as a vibrant child whose life was abruptly interrupted by illness. Sarah knew that to truly heal, Lily needed more than medicine; she needed to feel seen, heard, and cherished.

Taking Osler's words to heart, Sarah orchestrated an initiative that went beyond the routine medical treatments. She organized "theme days" in the ward, turning sterile hospital rooms into realms of imagination and joy, allowing Lily and her fellow patients to momentarily escape the confines of their illness. From superhero day, where children donned capes and masks, to a magical fairy tale afternoon filled with stories and characters from their favorite books, these events breathed life into the ward and sparked a light in Lily's eyes that had been dimmed by chemotherapy and endless hospital stays.

But Sarah's commitment to person-centered care didn't stop at creating moments of joy. She spent countless hours beside Lily's bed, listening to her fears, dreams, and the mundane stories about school and friends that Lily missed dearly. On days when Lily's spirits were particularly low, Sarah would sit with her, holding her hand through the night, offering comfort through her presence—a silent testament to the profound impact of empathy and connection.

It was during one of these nights, with Lily's head resting gently on her pillow and Sarah's hand enveloping hers, that the true essence of Osler's quote was personified. In that quiet room, medicine transcended the boundaries of science and became an art form, where healing was fueled not just by drugs and therapies but by the profound human connection between a nurse and her patient.

Sarah's dedication to Lily and her unwavering belief in the power of compassion transformed the pediatric ward into a place where hope thrived amidst adversity. Lily's journey, marked by moments of laughter, tears, and indomitable courage, became a testament to the idea that in the heart of healthcare, it's the heart that matters most. Through Sarah's actions, the practice of medicine was elevated to its highest calling, where the art of caring became the most potent medicine of all.
 
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Here is Bing-chat’s essay based on the prompt:

Title: “The Quixotic Adventures of Dr. Bumblebee: A Medical Odyssey”


Once upon a time, in the hallowed halls of Stethoscope University, there existed a peculiar medical student named Dr. Ignatius Bumblebee. Dr. Bumblebee was not your typical aspiring physician. No, he didn’t dream of curing diseases or saving lives. Instead, he fancied himself a cross between Salvador Dalí and a caffeinated squirrel.

His medical textbooks gathered dust on the shelves, while he practiced interpretive dance in the anatomy lab. His favorite move? The “Inguinal Groove Shuffle.” It involved pelvic thrusts and jazz hands, all while humming the Hippocratic Oath in reverse. The other students stared, bewildered, as Dr. Bumblebee twirled around cadavers, muttering, “Ah, the exquisite choreography of the human spleen!”

But Dr. Bumblebee’s pièce de résistance was his clinic attire. While his colleagues donned white coats and sensible shoes, he strutted through the hospital corridors wearing a sequined cape, neon-green Crocs, and a stethoscope shaped like a unicorn horn. His patients blinked in confusion, wondering if they’d stumbled into a medical appointment or a psychedelic circus.

“Doctor,” Mrs. Jenkins would say, clutching her chest, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”

Dr. Bumblebee would strike a dramatic pose, one hand on his heart, the other pointing to the heavens. “Fear not, fair maiden! Your cardiac symphony is merely a crescendo of love notes from your ventricles. Let us waltz through this arrhythmia together!”

He’d then whip out a kazoo and serenade Mrs. Jenkins with a jaunty rendition of “Stayin’ Alive.” The nurses exchanged glances, debating whether to call security or join the impromptu disco party.

Dr. Bumblebee’s diagnostic skills were equally avant-garde. When faced with a mysterious rash, he’d consult his Magic 8-Ball. “Outlook hazy,” it would reply. Undeterred, he’d prescribe a cocktail of kale smoothies, interpretive dance therapy, and a dash of unicorn tears.

His medical notes were masterpieces of absurdity. “Patient presents with existential angst and a touch of ennui,” he’d write. “Treatment plan: administer hugs, prescribe sunsets, and recommend a daily dose of cloud gazing.”

Dr. Bumblebee’s waiting room resembled a surrealist gallery. Patients sat on beanbag chairs, sipping herbal tea, while a string quartet played Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” The receptionist wore a beret and recited haikus about cholesterol levels.

One day, Dr. Bumblebee encountered a grumpy old man named Mr. McSnort. “Doc,” Mr. McSnort grumbled, “my knee hurts. Fix it.”

Dr. Bumblebee leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Ah, Mr. McSnort, your knee is a metaphor for life’s imperfections. Let us embark on a quest! We shall climb Mount Ibuprofen, battle the dragons of inflammation, and emerge victorious with a renewed sense of purpose.”

He handed Mr. McSnort a kazoo. “Blow this, my friend. It’ll summon the healing unicorns.”

Mr. McSnort blinked. “Unicorns?”

“Yes, unicorns!” Dr. Bumblebee declared. “They prance through the forest, sprinkling glitter and joint supplements. Trust me, it’s science.”

And so, Mr. McSnort hobbled up the metaphorical mountain, kazoo in hand. At the summit, he blew a triumphant note, and lo and behold, a herd of invisible unicorns danced around him. His knee felt better instantly.

Word spread about Dr. Bumblebee’s unorthodox methods. Patients flocked to his clinic, hoping for a dose of whimsy and a side of enlightenment. The medical board convened an emergency meeting.

“Dr. Bumblebee,” they said, “your antics defy reason. You’re turning medicine into a circus.”

He bowed deeply. “Gentle sirs and madams, remember the wise words of William Osler: ‘Medicine is an art, not a trade.’ And what’s more artistic than a kazoo-playing, unicorn-summoning doctor?”

They had no rebuttal.

And so, Dr. Bumblebee continued his quixotic medical odyssey, leaving a trail of laughter, confetti, and inexplicably healed knees. As he once proclaimed during a colonoscopy, “Life is but a cosmic burlesque, my friends. Let us shimmy through its absurdity with grace and a touch of jazz hands.”

And so, dear reader, the legend of Dr. Ignatius Bumblebee lives on—a calling, an art, and a delightful prescription for the soul
 
ChatGPT is pretty amazing. But that's not going to win anything.

somewhat random, but what are your thoughts about how AI will impact docs in the future? I know a lot of people in the past talked about AI replacing radiologists etc. But what about hospitals using less docs and instead having a bunch of midlevel providers using AI to deal with bread and butter cases in order to save money. Is the liability for that to great? I also feel like it is hard to predict the future but assuming we ever get to the point of having "AGI" it seems like a lot of professions besides medicine would be screwed as well.
 
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somewhat random, but what are your thoughts about how AI will impact docs in the future? I know a lot of people in the past talked about AI replacing radiologists etc. But what about hospitals using less docs and instead having a bunch of midlevel providers using AI to deal with bread and butter cases in order to save money. Is the liability for that to great? I also feel like it is hard to predict the future but assuming we ever get to the point of having "AGI" it seems like a lot of professions besides medicine would be screwed as well.
I’m pretty bullish on AI in medicine personally. Things already out there that I think will make a massive impact:

1) AI scribes. These already exist and are not bad. Surely will improve and make charting much much faster.

2) AI inbox management - huge staff burden managing this and most questions could easily be handled by AI.

3) chart review - EMR bloat is a big issue and having an ongoing AI summary of the entire record would be a huge time saver. These could even be tailored to specialties - I get a referral for sinusitis and it would review all notes and give me all the pertinent hx as well as make note of available imaging or any that was done in the past, etc.

4) referral triage - this takes a lot of my time and could easily be done with existing AI.

5) Decision support - not a leap for the AI scribe to listen in and prompt you with any key questions you’ve missed as well as ongoing probabilities for certain ddx, added value of considered tests, etc. This will definitely empower midlevels to be much more effective.

Personally, I think AI will probably hurt midlevels more than anyone. It will make docs much more efficient and less burned out, and truth is you can give an AI-powered iPad to an MA just as easily as a PA and pay them a fraction of the cost.

I’ve actually done a small version of this in my own clinic after my senior partner retired. I’m now the only ENT for the biggest hospital in my town, and I’ve already nearly replaced my partner’s lost clinical volume thanks to AI. I used GPT4 and a few weeks of late hours to build my own little system of interlocking templates and forms within our EMR that my MAs use to basically function like midlevels. I just go from room to room doing exams/procedures and counseling patients, see more patients now than all the ENTs and midlevels at our sister hospital combined, and I’m out the door every day by 3pm with all my notes signed. AI could automate this whole thing even more and make me and my staff even more efficient

I’m not worried about it taking my job both because there’s a huge procedural aspect to what I do and the fact that diagnosis is by far the easiest part of my job. For 99% of my patients, I know the diagnosis before I even walk in the room. The counseling and shared decision making based on the synthesis of a lot of info is where I can beat the AI handily.
 
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I agree with the above summary. As AI makes us more efficient, presumably we can manage more patients (as demonstrated by the post above also). Theoretically this means we need less doctors. Since there's apparently a doctor shortage, that might be good. Will AI get good enough to completely replace some positions? Maybe, but that's still a way off in the future. Scribes will certainly be the first to go.
 
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I’m pretty bullish on AI in medicine personally. Things already out there that I think will make a massive impact:

1) AI scribes. These already exist and are not bad. Surely will improve and make charting much much faster.

2) AI inbox management - huge staff burden managing this and most questions could easily be handled by AI.

3) chart review - EMR bloat is a big issue and having an ongoing AI summary of the entire record would be a huge time saver. These could even be tailored to specialties - I get a referral for sinusitis and it would review all notes and give me all the pertinent hx as well as make note of available imaging or any that was done in the past, etc.

4) referral triage - this takes a lot of my time and could easily be done with existing AI.

5) Decision support - not a leap for the AI scribe to listen in and prompt you with any key questions you’ve missed as well as ongoing probabilities for certain ddx, added value of considered tests, etc. This will definitely empower midlevels to be much more effective.

Personally, I think AI will probably hurt midlevels more than anyone. It will make docs much more efficient and less burned out, and truth is you can give an AI-powered iPad to an MA just as easily as a PA and pay them a fraction of the cost.

I’ve actually done a small version of this in my own clinic after my senior partner retired. I’m now the only ENT for the biggest hospital in my town, and I’ve already nearly replaced my partner’s lost clinical volume thanks to AI. I used GPT4 and a few weeks of late hours to build my own little system of interlocking templates and forms within our EMR that my MAs use to basically function like midlevels. I just go from room to room doing exams/procedures and counseling patients, see more patients now than all the ENTs and midlevels at our sister hospital combined, and I’m out the door every day by 3pm with all my notes signed. AI could automate this whole thing even more and make me and my staff even more efficient

I’m not worried about it taking my job both because there’s a huge procedural aspect to what I do and the fact that diagnosis is by far the easiest part of my job. For 99% of my patients, I know the diagnosis before I even walk in the room. The counseling and shared decision making based on the synthesis of a lot of info is where I can beat the AI handily.

I agree with the above summary. As AI makes us more efficient, presumably we can manage more patients (as demonstrated by the post above also). Theoretically this means we need less doctors. Since there's apparently a doctor shortage, that might be good. Will AI get good enough to completely replace some positions? Maybe, but that's still a way off in the future. Scribes will certainly be the first to go.

Thank you both for your replies. I also wonder if people will feel fully comfortable not interacting with a human for their care. It seems that proceduralists are well protected but will be interesting to see how primary care is affected in the future. I know there have been discussion about how more people need access to primary care and I wonder if corporations will use AI as a way to eat their cake and have it in this regard.
 
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