‘Virtual patient’ chatbot developed by University of Hong Kong will boost trainee doctors’ diagnostic skills, developer says

HKU doctor says chatbot will not replace conventional bedside teaching, but can give equal experience of rare complaints and avoid scheduling problems

Cases can be chosen from 10 areas, from surgery to intensive care, and patients present variety of symptoms, personalities and educational levels

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(From left) University of Hong Kong computer scientist Dr John Yuen and Dr Michael Co of the medical faculty outline the benefits of a new chatbot for medical students. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Published: 9:55pm, 8 Nov 2023Updated: 12:35am, 9 Nov 2023

A hi-tech “virtual patient” has been developed to help hone Hong Kong medical students’ bedside consultation skills.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) said on Wednesday it created the chatbot app, equipped with more than 20 patient cases, with the help of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

The developers said the chatbot was able to provide trainee doctors with equal experience of rare complaints and tackle scheduling problems often encountered in conventional bedside teaching.

“The chatbot could not fully replace the conventional bedside teaching, which allows students to interact with real patients,” said Dr Michael Co Tiong-hong, a clinical assistant professor at HKU’s Department of Surgery and a developer of the app.

“But this tool could address the limitations of bedside teaching, because teachers could tailor rare and complex case scenarios, which students do not usually have access to in clinical settings.”

(From left) University of Hong Kong medical faculty’s Dr Michael Co, medical student Wynn Cheung, Jacky Wong and Dr John Yuen of the department of computer science demonstrate a new “virtual patient”. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Conventional clinical bedside training happens in wards or at clinics. Students, usually in groups of six to eight, take clinical histories from patients and discuss them with their teachers.