Hyderabad, July 1: Medical experts have warned that the use of artificial intelligence (IA) for self-diagnosis and prescriptions poses grave risks to human lives.
On Doctor's Day, he expressed concern about the growing trend of patients relying on internet search results even for serious illnesses.
They believe that while there are many benefits to using the Internet, there are also many problems that the Internet causes that affect their daily lives.
Doctors say the advent of AI and machine learning (ML) has rapidly taken our lives by storm, doubling both the convenience and potential risks in the past few years.
They say the internet has emerged as the primary source of health information, leading to an increase in unsupervised self-medication.
AI brings a new dimension to this trend, posing significant risks to human life.
Engaging in such uninhibited behavior poses serious threats and, if poor judgment leads to taking the wrong medication, can have deadly consequences.
Potential dangers of self-medication include inaccurate self-diagnosis and misuse of medication, which can lead to potentially dangerous drug interactions and incorrect dosing, the researchers said.
AI works based on data input, but in healthcare, the data must be accurate to the decimal point to ensure perfect diagnosis of the disease and provide optimal medication or treatment.
When data is provided by non-healthcare professionals, 100% accuracy is certainly not possible.
“The internet, and AI in particular, is developed and dominated by Western countries, particularly the United States. The underlying information available on AI platforms is likely to be relevant to Western geographies and demographics.
“This information may or may not be relevant for the people of India because the information available is only the closest, not the most accurate,” Dr Gayatri Kamineni, chief operating officer, Kamineni Hospital, told IANS.
“Dosage is important to ensure the best treatment for any disease, and if the dosage is incorrect the consequences can be disastrous and even fatal.”
“The internet in general, and AI in particular, should be seen as a support function, not a decision to be blindly trusted,” she said.
Dr B Kishore Reddy, Chief Orthopaedic Oncologist and Managing Director, Amol Hospitals, believes that taking medicines without consulting a doctor or medical expert can lead to choosing the wrong medicine.
“Furthermore, self-medication increases the risk of taking the wrong dosage or using the medicine for longer than necessary. Also, taking drugs for a long period of time can make the body dependent and require the drug to continue functioning normally. Patients may feel temporary relief and think that taking medication is beneficial to relieve their symptoms. However, such drugs may mask symptoms of underlying diseases and, if proper medical guidance is not sought, the underlying disease may worsen and become dangerous over time.
“Misuse or overuse of medications can increase the risk of serious medical complications and cause adverse symptoms such as nausea, convulsions and even death.”
“The internet, and especially artificial intelligence and machine learning, have made life easier for healthcare professionals. We have access to cutting-edge treatment protocols and easier communication has significantly reduced the risk of mistakes in hospitals.”
“But this progress is managed and monitored by experts with decades of experience providing the best possible care. It's this combination of experience, expertise and the internet that results in the best outcomes for patients.”
“It is never advisable to rely solely on the internet without experience and expertise,” says Dr C. Mallikarjuna, chief urologist and managing director, Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU).
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