31 OCTOBER 2025 4 NEWS ausdoc. com. au
31 OCTOBER 2025 4 NEWS ausdoc. com. au
Doctor in firing line over AI
Heather Saxena A GP registrar’ s decision to use AI website ChatGPT to“ finesse” a referral letter nearly cost them their job just before their fellowship exams, says a medical defence organisation.
According to Avant, the registrar was struggling to balance the“ overwhelming demands” of GP training with their young family and knew other GPs at the practice used AI scribes to save time.
However, the registrar did not investigate the practice’ s AI policy before using ChatGPT, said Dr Andrew Baird, a medical adviser and claims manager at Avant.
“ As they weren’ t confident their patient referral letters were suitably professional, the registrar used ChatGPT to finesse the letters,” Dr Baird wrote on the Avant website.
“ It had simply not occurred to them that, since the draft letters included personal information about a patient, as well as the specialist’ s contact
‘ There were significant privacy issues.’
details, there were significant privacy issues entering these details into a publicly available general-purpose AI tool.”
HELP LIGHTEN THE BURDEN OF CHRONIC WEIGHT 1, 2
The registrar admitted to using ChatGPT after they had accidentally uploaded an AI-tweaked referral letter into the wrong patient file and had to ask the practice manager what to do.
A practice investigation concluded that the registrar had breached patient privacy and confidentiality by entering identifiable details into“ uncontrolled environments”.
They were preparing to fire the registrar, who contacted Avant for help, Dr Baird said. The practice told Avant that it had banned GPs from using AI— even banning AI scribes— and had sent all doctors minutes of a management meeting that spelt this out.
But the practice eventually acknowledged it had not directly communicated the ban to the GPs.
Ultimately, the practice accepted these were mitigating circumstances for the registrar’ s mistake, Dr Baird said.
He added that the practice had gone on to experiment with AI scribes and subsequently permitted GPs to use particular AI software.
To correct the referral mistake, the practice uploaded the referral to the correct patient file with a note explaining it had been entered into the wrong file by mistake, Avant said.
The incorrect referral remained in the wrong file with a disclaimer that it had been uploaded mistakenly and was confidential.
The referred patient was told of the mistake and the practice’ s response.
Avant; 9 Sep 2025: bit. ly / 4gYkMwg
‘ Query cannabis scripts’
Hypothetical patient.
Unseen psychological, emotional and social burdens can stop people living with obesity and overweight from talking about their current and future health goals. 2
Healthcare providers have an important role in navigating weight management conversations and showing that good health is more than just a number on a scale. 2, 3 Conversations about what’ s weighing your patients down could help them find the words to motivate change.
References: 1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Overweight and obesity. Available at: https:// www. aihw. gov. au / reports / overweight-obesity / overweight-and-obesity / contents / summary. Accessed August 2025. 2. Rubino F, et al. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025; 13( 3): 221 – 62. 3. Albury C, et al. JAMA. 2025; 333( 10): 900 – 1.
© 2025 Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 39 000 233 992. Level 9, 60 Margaret St, Sydney NSW 2000. Telephone: 1800 454 559. Date of preparation: August 2025. PP-MG-AU-0500. 2008750.
Staff writer PHARMACISTS have been told to reject doctors’ scripts for medicinal cannabis if they suspect they are fuelled by profit motives rather than patient care.
The guidance from the Pharmacy Board of Australia comes amid a surge in prescriptions for medicinal cannabis.
Earlier this year, AHPRA revealed it had identified one pharmacist who had dispensed 959,000 cannabis products in 12 months— the equivalent of 2600 products a day. The watchdog also said eight doctors had issued more than 10,000 scripts each for the highest-strength THC products in just six months.
Pharmacists should clarify the prescriber’ s intentions as well as review the patient’ s medication history before dispensing the S8 drug, the pharmacist board said. They should also consider the option of contacting the doctor if necessary.