Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
In this episode of CME On the Go, the hosts explore artificial intelligence (AI) as a partner in whole-person care and examine how family physicians can thoughtfully incorporate AI into clinical practice without losing the human judgment and relationships at the heart of family medicine.
The hosts break down what today’s AI tools can—and cannot—do, including the differences between traditional artificial intelligence, large language models, and the still-theoretical concept of artificial general intelligence. The conversation addresses common concerns surrounding AI, including hallucinations, bias, privacy, environmental impact, workforce disruption, and health equity. Throughout the discussion, the hosts emphasize a “trust but verify” approach and the importance of keeping physicians in the decision-making loop rather than treating AI-generated information as a final clinical answer.
The hosts also examine current clinical applications of AI, with particular attention to ambient documentation tools and their potential to reduce documentation burden. They discuss how family physicians can evaluate new technology by considering whether it improves workflow, integrates with existing systems, protects patient information, provides sufficient transparency and actually solves a problem clinicians experience. The conversation also explores the importance of accountability, explainability, and recognizing how inaccurate or poorly implemented alerts and recommendations can contribute to clinician burden rather than reduce it.
Finally, the hosts look at how family physicians can help shape the future of AI in healthcare. They offer practical guidance for selecting and implementing tools, working with clinical informatics and IT teams, providing feedback to technology developers, and using more specific prompts to improve AI-generated results. They emphasize that successful AI adoption depends not simply on technological capability or accuracy, but on thoughtful implementation, organizational culture, and meaningful clinician involvement. Above all, they encourage family physicians to develop AI literacy, maintain healthy skepticism, and ensure that human judgment remains central to patient care.
Learning Objectives
- Evaluate the capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations of AI-driven tools in supporting decision-making, patient safety, and whole-person care within family medicine practice.
- Explore the use of AI-enabled documentation and workflow optimization tools to reduce administrative burden, enhance efficiency, and strengthen communication across the care team.
- Develop a strategic plan for implementing AI technologies that uphold data privacy, minimize bias, and promote human-centered, ethical use in healthcare settings.
After listening to the podcast episode, claim 0.5 Enduring Materials, Self-Study American Academy of Family Physicians Prescribed continuing medical education credits.