The end of the year offers a natural moment for reflection, gratitude and looking ahead. I would like to once again thank everyone who makes This Changed My Practice possible — our editors, the UBC CPD team, our authors and you, our readers. This year, I have also been humbled by the personal support that my family and I have received as we navigated our own challenges.
In recent letters I’ve touched on artificial intelligence, and I’m returning to it because it remains one of the most fascinating — and rapidly evolving — forces shaping both our clinical practices and our personal lives.
AI will likely be both one of the best and one of the most problematic tools we encounter in health care. We have already seen how it can enhance productivity, accelerate drug discovery and repurposing, and augment diagnostic reasoning. At the same time, AI systems can provide false or even dangerous medical advice; deepfakes now allow anyone to appear to endorse a product or message; and there are troubling stories about the psychological effects of interacting with highly persuasive, often sycophantic chatbots. Traditional “Dr. Google” conversations with patients are being replaced by AI-generated outputs that look authoritative regardless of their accuracy.
These developments underscore how essential human expertise remains. While AI can help filter and synthesize information, it still requires vigilance to distinguish reliable evidence from what can feel like well-packaged “AI slop”. In one of my own tests, I asked an AI tool for evidence supporting a particular diuresis approach in cardiorenal syndrome. It produced a compelling set of recommendations along with citations and what appeared to be direct quotations from guidelines and studies, enclosed in quotation marks. Because I was familiar with the papers and didn’t recall the quoted lines, I asked for the exact page and paragraph. The chatbot then admitted the “quotes” were a summarization of the “intent” rather than actual quotations of the source material.
(A shameless plug: UBC CPD has just launched a new podcast, CPD in Practice. In the inaugural episode, UBC CPD Executive Medical Director, Dr. Chris Morrow, sits down with Dr. Sofia Valanci, Physician Program Advisor for the Learning and Connecting department at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, to discuss generative AI in medicine. Click here to listen to the episode.)
AI tools will continue to improve, but experiences like these highlight the ongoing importance of Human Intelligence — trusted experts who provide context, judgement and nuance. We learn from one another, and seeing what resonates with our peers can meaningfully shape our own approaches. I hope TCMP continues to serve as a valued source of human-generated and human-curated insights that truly “change your practice”.
As is our tradition, here are this year’s top five articles, as voted by our readers:
Top 5 Articles by Number of Votes:
- “Menopause: Don’t sweat it: Part 1” by Drs. Kerstin Gustafson and Dr. Colleen Dy
- “Hematology tips for primary care: Hemoglobin abnormalities” by Dr. Heather Leitch
- “Trauma-informed high impact chronic pain care” by Dr. Judy Dercksen
- “Matters of the HEEART: How to discuss code status when stakes are high in acute care” by Drs. Kelvin Lou and David M. Williscroft
- “Diagnosis of anxiety conditions in primary care: Part 1” by Dr. Douglas Green
On behalf of the entire UBC CPD team, I wish you and your circle a happy, safe and healthy holiday season.
Steve Wong, MD, FRCPC
Internal Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, UBC
Medical Director, This Changed My Practice
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