Context is critical for us to determine the truth of a matter. Patrick Henry’s famous speech stating “Give me liberty or give me death,” is appropriate when trying to escape the tyranny of taxation without representation; it is less acceptable when trying to weasel out of a cell phone contract. Driving 200 mph in your company car is appropriate for a formula one driver; not so much while delivering packages for FedEx. Cat fishing is an excellent use of time in the Louisiana Bayou, not when you are online using social media.
With the advent of search engines, and far more now with the invention of “artificial intelligence,” medical knowledge has become available to the majority of the world’s population in an unprecedented way. With tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, anyone can enter symptoms and get a list of diagnoses that may or may not actually be present. This is where context is important for discerning truth and falsehood.
Often in medicine the most important factor in determining both the diagnosis and most appropriate treatment is context. Severe headache in a 20 year-old hiker from Texas now at 12,000 feet is probably altitude sickness– in a 70 year-old with high blood pressure it is more likely a hemorrhagic stroke. The treatments are obviously different as well.
This is where medical training beats AI. ChatGPT can reference thousands of articles, but does not have the clinical experience to know when these articles apply to a particular patient. Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t make it true!
Patients who seek plastic surgery have often performed research into their concerns and possible treatments. I enjoy it when patients have done research, as the questions they have are often very specific and relevant (although I appreciate all patient questions). However, there are many plastic surgery “rabbit-holes” and much misleading information about this specialty on the internet. This includes all operations, but seems to be especially common with regards to breast implants, laser treatments, facelift operations, and liposuction. Patients will sometimes arrive with predetermined points of view that are not based on fact, or are out of context. I believe in patient involvement in decisions regarding their own care, but also in education about the benefits and drawbacks of different treatments– sometimes the best treatment is to avoid treating at all!
At Gallatin Plastic Surgery we believe in providing the highest quality of care, before, during, and after surgery. I have 12 years of experience as a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and enjoy meeting patients and answering questions in the comfort of our office and private, AAAASF-certified operating suite. I look forward to seeing you in consultation!