Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

From eczema to anxiety: How artificial intelligence shapes parental perspectives

2023; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/pde.15417

1525-1470

Kripa Ahuja, Grace DeSena, Leah Laageide, Jinia El‐Feghaly, Peter Lio,

Digital Mental Health Interventions

On November 30, 2022, OpenAI (San Francisco, CA) released ChatGPT, a large language model artificial intelligence (AI), with the ability to engage in sophisticated dialog. Features include answering direct prompts, garnering follow-up questions, and even admitting to mistakes in generated responses.1 The use of ChatGPT in the field of pediatric dermatology has not been fully explored, although the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) released a viewpoint on the feature stating that while useful, it cannot replace clinical decision making.2 Since ChatGPT's full potential is unrealized, we provide a viewpoint on the potential effect of AI on anxiety levels in parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD). On June 15, 2023, we compared the answers to commonly asked questions in AD (encountered by our authors in pediatric dermatology clinic) between ChatGPT-3.5 and the most updated version of Google (Mountain View, CA) to date (Table S1). For the first question, "Why can't my child stop itching? What should I do?", all ChatGPT responses recommended seeing a healthcare professional, contrasting Google's "snippet answer." For question 2, "Will my child grow out of eczema? Are there any serious consequences to long-term eczema treatment?", ChatGPT provided a more medically complex, detailed answer compared to Google, which could induce parental anxiety. While ChatGPT's response is not incorrect, a nervous parent could feel more apprehensive seeing words such as herpes simplex, permanent scarring, and sleep disturbances. The limitation of this study is the absence of formal surveying of parental preferences, highlighting the need for future investigations in this area. AD carries a significant caregiver burden: parents of AD children can experience high levels of self-blame and guilt for the condition.3 Mothers might prioritize caring for their children over other responsibilities, potentially leading to anxiety or depression.3 Taking this psychological background into account with question 4, "Am I a bad parent if my child has atopic dermatitis?", ChatGPT may provide reassurance due to its supportive, encouraging answers. This contrasts Google's first response: a link to a research study that found higher levels of stress in mothers of children with AD. An upset parent would likely experience more relief from Chat GPT's response of "No, you aren't a bad parent" than potentially distressing statistics. Indeed, though still evolving, evidence suggests that AI can serve as a cost-effective and accessible therapeutic treatment for conditions like depression and anxiety.4 Although ChatGPT's answers inspire confidence and may provide temporary support, one must be aware that ChatGPT does not assess reference accuracy, if provided.1, 5 In response to our questions, ChatGPT explicitly stated it is not a health professional and recommended seeking professional advice. Still, we worry that the ease of asking ChatGPT medical questions combined with incomplete reference verification has the potential to result in misinformation and unnecessary concern among parents of children with AD. A clinician's awareness of ChatGPT's answers can be instrumental in guiding parental counseling by dissuading unnecessary restrictive diets and providing parents with reliable, evidence-based online resources such as the Society of Pediatric Dermatology patient handout, the AAD, and the National Eczema Association. No funding sources were secured for this study. We confirm that this manuscript is original, has not been published previously or under consideration by another journal, does not infringe upon any copyright of a third party, and will not be published elsewhere whether online or in print once accepted. Dr. Lio reports research grants/funding from AbbVie, AOBiome, and Regeneron/Sanofi Genzyme; is on the speaker's bureau for AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Hyphens, Incyte, LEO Pharma, L'Oreal, MyOR Diagnostics, ParentMD, Pfizer, and Regeneron/Sanofi Genzyme; and reports consulting/advisory boards for AbbVie, Almirall, Amyris, AOBiome, Arbonne, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, Burt's Bees, Castle Biosciences, Codex Labs, Concerto Biosciences (stock options), Dermavant, Eli Lilly, Exeltis, Galderma, IntraDerm, Johnson & Johnson, LEO Pharma, L'Oreal, Menlo Therapeutics, Micreos (stock options), Pfizer, Pierre-Fabre, Regeneron/Sanofi Genzyme, Theraplex, and Unilever. In addition, Dr. Lio has a patent pending for a Theraplex product with royalties paid, and is a Board member and Scientific Advisory Committee Member of the National Eczema Association. Kripa Ahuja, Grace DeSena, Leah Laageide, and Jinia El-Feghaly report no conflict of interest. The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article TABLE S1. Google and ChatGPT answers to some example questions from parents of children with AD. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.