The generative AI tool aims to support doctors to make quicker decisions and with the most up-to-date information.
Medscape, a digital platform for healthcare professionals, has today (19 November) launched Medscape AI, a generative AI chatbot to support clinicians.
The company said that this new AI tool has been codeveloped by clinicians to provide trustworthy insights and is trained on Medscape's proprietary content, peer-reviewed literature and real-time medical news.
"[Medscape] cuts through the information overload plaguing healthcare professionals, synthesising evidence instantly to drive better patient outcomes," said Bob Brisco, CEO of Medscape's parent company, Internet Brands.
The new tool will include citations for all outputs, and there will be daily and weekly editorial oversight to ensure outputs reflect the latest evidence, the company said.
"The things I am looking for when I'm interacting with tools like this are reliability and verifiability - having verifiable information increases my ability to trust what I am seeing," said F Perry Willson, MD, MSCE, a nephrologist at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Headquartered in London, Medscape provides healthcare professionals with medical news, clinical information and educational resources. It's a subsidiary of WebMD Health Corp, which is an Internet Brands company. Among the WebMD Health Corp trademarks are MedPulse, MedicineNet and eMedicine.
Last year, Medscape surveyed 745 doctors in the UK and found that one in five (19pc) were apprehensive about AI in the workplace. "Wouldn't want AI replacing human doctors," the report quotes one doctor as saying.
Despite this reticence, 76pc of those surveyed said it was very important to become educated about AI and its medical workplace applications, and one in 20 respondents were using AI to treat their patients. "It has great potential. It also can lead to seriously adverse outcomes," one doctor is noted as saying.
Medscape said their new AI tool responds to the doctors' concerns by delivering up-to-date, reliable information.
Medscape AI is available for free to the more than 13m Medscape members. And the company said it plans to evolve the platform throughout 2026 to add more personalisation and new features.
Dr ChatGPT will see you now
As it continues to grow apace, generative AI technology has been taken up not just by clinicians but also by patients.
A new survey from healthcare management platform Semble has found that nearly one in four (24pc) UK patients are turning to AI for health information.
As many as one in three people are willing to consult AI or social media rather than wait to see a doctor. And 63pc of people reported feeling confused after leaving a clinical appointment, with Semble speculating that they're turning to AI for further information or reassurance.
More than one-third (38pc) of people said they feel uncomfortable discussing information they've found online with their healthcare provider.
"Patients are turning to AI because it's immediate," said Dr Uchenna Amaechi, GP and co-founder of 2Me Clinic.
"It's a natural response to a system under pressure, but it comes with risks: without clinical context or continuity, the information they find can be incomplete, overwhelming or simply wrong."
Semble co-founder and CEO Christoph Lippuner said that people are "eager to take control of their health".
"They are drawn to these tools out of convenience or anxiety. So, the question is no longer whether patients will use AI, but how we can make that use safe, ensuring they understand the limits and feel supported to bring any insights into informed conversations with clinicians."
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