The 5 Laws of LLM-Assisted Healthcare
These laws establish crucial guidelines for incorporating LLMs (Large Language Models - AI systems that can process medical information and assist in healthcare decisions) into healthcare practices while maintaining the highest standards of patient care, medical ethics, and professional responsibility. They frame AI as a powerful clinical support tool while affirming the paramount importance of human medical expertise and the doctor-patient relationship.
Healthcare professionals can select the most appropriate large language model tailored to their medical specialty and task requirements. This flexibility ensures LLMs support diverse applications, from patient education to clinical decision support.
All recommendations or insights generated by an LLM must be thoroughly validated by the healthcare professional. Blind reliance on AI outputs is prohibited. Physicians and clinicians remain responsible for ensuring the medical relevance, accuracy, and safety of all LLM-assisted contributions.
LLMs are tools to support, not replace, the expertise of medical professionals. While LLMs can assist in synthesizing patient data, suggesting diagnoses, or streamlining administrative tasks, the ultimate responsibility for patient care and decision-making lies solely with the healthcare professional.
Healthcare professionals must evaluate the performance of LLMs regularly, providing feedback on their accuracy, relevance, and usability. Lessons learned should be used to refine how LLMs are integrated into medical workflows, enhancing their effectiveness over time.
The use of LLMs in medicine must uphold the highest ethical standards, prioritizing patient safety, privacy, and dignity. Healthcare professionals must critically review LLM outputs to prevent perpetuating biases and ensure that care remains equitable, transparent, and aligned with regulatory standards.
