It’s holiday season – but we won’t leave you without some fresh ideas: in this short special episode, we take a look back at our episode on artificial intelligence in vascular surgery. The episode featuring Professor Martin Hirsch, MD, provided a wealth of insights – and continues to spark discussions, questions and ‘aha’ moments to this day.

We address two key listener questions in this summer recap:

Answers are provided by PD Dr Barbara Rantner, who led the discussion with Professor Hirsch – thoughtful, clear and with a practical focus. A concise special episode for everyone who stays tuned in and thinks along with us – even during the summer break.

Topics in this episode: 

• Can AI really communicate more empathetically than real doctors?
• Are AI booths already in use in A&E – or is that still a long way off?

Questions or feedback? Would
you like to get in touch with the editorial team or the experts? We look forward to hearing from you at: podcasts(at)medizinkommunikation.org

Introduction & Welcome

Richter: “A warm welcome to a short special episode of Gefäße im Fokus. My name is Michaela Richter – and you may be wondering why you aren’t hearing the voices of Dr Barbara Rantner or Prof Farzin Adili today, as usual.

I work in the podcast’s production team and usually operate more in the background, which means you don’t normally hear me. However, as our two presenters are taking a short, well-deserved summer break, I’m stepping in to take the microphone today.

Don’t worry: even though there’s no new interview episode today, we’d still like to share something with you.

We’ve received various questions from you regarding the last episode, the one on artificial intelligence. We’d like to address two of them today. And the answers, as usual, come from Dr Barbara Rantner, who conducted the interview with Prof. Martin Hirsch.

If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, please go back and have a quick listen – we’ve also included a link to the episode in the show notes – and give it a listen first before continuing here. 

The first question we received several times was: “Can artificial intelligence really communicate more empathetically than real doctors?” That sounds very provocative at first – Dr Rantner, what do you say to that?

Rantner: “Yes, to be honest, that’s something that’s been on my mind and has also affected me. My first thought during the interview and discussion was that it would represent a total capitulation for humanity if avatars – that is, artificial intelligence – were perceived by the person opposite me as more empathetic and likeable than a flesh-and-blood human being, so to speak. Prof. Hirsch mentioned in the conversation that AI systems are, in fact, sometimes perceived in this way – for instance, because they speak in a more engaging manner, take their time and show no impatience.

Of course, this is not because they are actually capable of feeling – but because, in our day-to-day professional lives, we are very often under immense time pressure, appear and are overworked, and this naturally rubs off on patients. Everyone senses this, and so it is probably merely a reflection of our society. 

Prof. Hirsch pointed out that empathy has so far been taught too little systematically in training. One might perhaps like to mention the concepts of charity and care, and his message in this context was very clear: he meant that we should, especially now, actively engage with communication and empathy, and train and educate the younger generation in this regard – rather than hoping that technology will take this over for us in the future.”

Richter: Another question was: “Do these AI booths mentioned in the last episode really already exist – or is that just a pipe dream for tomorrow?”

Rantner: No, that’s not just a pipe dream; these avatars in the A&E department have already been used in a pilot project, at least in Marburg. Prof. Hirsch explained that booths equipped with avatars were used to examine a wide variety of patient groups who came to the A&E department. These AI systems are also capable of recording vital signs whilst the conversation is taking place, and the whole thing was very, very well received by the participants. He pointed out that very different age groups were deliberately included in this pilot project. From young to old – that is, aged 17 to 85, if I remember correctly – the participants found it very appealing and pleasant. 

The technology to roll this out on a large scale is already in place, as Prof. Hirsch explained in our conversation. The legal regulations governing this would, of course, still need to be clarified. And to sum up, it is certainly the case that AI cannot entirely replace doctors. But it can take the pressure off. And particularly in times of staff shortages and overcrowded A&E departments, this is a very exciting and promising development – and perhaps, or hopefully, it will also become an integral part of everyday hospital life in the foreseeable future.

Richter: And that, dear listeners, was our little summer update – with a look back at your questions regarding our AI episode. Many thanks at this point, and best regards to Dr Barbara Rantner for the fascinating insights.

We are already preparing the next regular episode and we would be delighted if you, dear listeners, would tune in again on 8 September. We’ll be back then with a new topic and a fresh voice. 

If you have any questions or requests for topics, please feel free to write to us at any time. As always, you can find all the relevant information on the DGG website or simply get in touch via email at podcasts(at)medizinkommunikation.org

So until then, we wish you all the best – whether you’re in hospital, on the ward or perhaps even on holiday.

Stay curious – and stay healthy.