AI Is Changing How Patients Question Medical Advice — St Joseph Hospital Manager
KOFORIDUA, GHANA — The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) by patients to interpret medical information is beginning to change the way some people approach consultations, treatment decisions and conversations with healthcare professionals, according to the Manager and Administrator of St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Koforidua, Philemon Kofi Quansah.
Quansah observed that patients are increasingly turning to AI tools to obtain additional explanations about medical conditions, diagnoses and treatment recommendations. According to him, this emerging trend is giving some patients greater confidence to seek clarification and, in some cases, question or challenge decisions made by doctors.
His comments highlight a rapidly developing issue in modern healthcare: the growing influence of AI-generated health information on the relationship between patients and medical professionals.
Patients becoming more informed — and more questioning
AI-powered platforms can provide users with explanations of medical terminology, possible causes of symptoms, general information about diseases and summaries of health-related information within seconds.
For patients who previously found medical information difficult to understand, such tools can make complex health concepts more accessible. They can also help patients prepare questions before visiting a hospital or seeking further clarification from a healthcare professional.
However, the ability of AI to produce convincing and detailed answers also creates a new challenge for healthcare providers.
A patient who receives an AI-generated explanation may arrive at a consultation with a different understanding of their condition or treatment options and may ask a doctor to explain why the professional recommendation differs from what the AI suggested.
That development, according to the observation attributed to Quansah, is contributing to a situation in which patients are no longer simply receiving medical information passively but are increasingly engaging healthcare professionals with information obtained independently through technology.
AI is not a replacement for doctors
The growing use of AI in healthcare does not mean that AI systems can replace doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
AI tools do not examine patients physically, conduct a complete clinical assessment or assume professional responsibility for a patient’s treatment. Their responses can also be incomplete, misleading or inappropriate for a particular patient’s circumstances.
This distinction is especially important because symptoms that appear similar can have completely different causes. A medical professional can consider a patient’s medical history, physical examination, laboratory results, imaging, medications and other relevant factors before reaching a clinical decision.
Consequently, information obtained from AI should be treated as a starting point for discussion rather than a substitute for professional medical evaluation.
Ghana’s health sector is already preparing for the AI era
The discussion comes at a time when Ghana’s health sector is increasingly examining how artificial intelligence and other digital technologies can be safely incorporated into healthcare delivery.
The Ghana Health Service has been actively exploring AI applications in areas including diagnosis, treatment support, surveillance and health-system management. In July 2026, the Service held a programme focused specifically on whether Ghana’s health system is prepared for the safe and effective adoption of AI in healthcare.
The Ghana Health Service has also been reviewing its Medical Records Strategy and Operational Guidelines to take account of developments in digital health, including artificial intelligence, data governance, interoperability and cybersecurity.
The Service said the review was necessary because the country’s health-information environment has evolved considerably, while identifying issues such as AI oversight, data quality, patient consent, privacy, cybersecurity and unequal access to technology as areas requiring attention.
Ghana Health Service has further supported innovation involving AI. In April 2026, it reported on Ghana’s participation in the Health Systems Innovation Lab Hackathon, where participants were encouraged to develop AI-driven solutions to healthcare challenges. Proposed applications included AI-powered telemedicine, decision-support tools for health workers and predictive analytics.
The opportunities and dangers
The increasing availability of AI-generated health information presents both opportunities and risks.
On the positive side, AI can help patients understand unfamiliar medical terminology, identify questions they may want to ask their doctors and access general health information more conveniently.
It can also potentially support healthcare professionals through decision-support systems, medical imaging, data analysis and other applications. Ghana Health Service has itself identified AI as a technology with potential to improve healthcare delivery when properly implemented.
The risks, however, cannot be ignored.
An AI system may produce an answer that sounds authoritative but is inaccurate or unsuitable for a particular patient. Patients who rely heavily on such information could misunderstand their condition, delay seeking medical attention, reject appropriate treatment or pursue interventions that are not medically recommended.
There is also the question of privacy. Patients may enter highly sensitive medical information into AI platforms without fully understanding how their data is processed, stored or protected.
Ghana’s digital-health policy recognises the importance of protecting patient information, stressing privacy, confidentiality, data integrity and the use of client data with appropriate safeguards and consent.
A new relationship between patients and doctors
The emergence of AI-assisted patients could nevertheless encourage a more interactive relationship between healthcare professionals and the people they treat.
Rather than viewing every question from a patient as a challenge to professional authority, healthcare providers may increasingly have to explain diagnoses and treatment decisions in ways that allow patients to understand the reasoning behind them.
Patients, on the other hand, will need to learn how to distinguish between useful health information and information that requires professional verification.
The Medical and Dental Council of Ghana, the statutory body responsible for regulating medical and dental practice in the country, has also recognised the growing importance of technology, including artificial intelligence, in modern healthcare and medical training.
The way forward
As AI becomes more accessible, the central issue may no longer be whether patients will use it to obtain health information, but how that information will be used responsibly.
Healthcare professionals may increasingly need to anticipate patients arriving with AI-generated explanations, diagnoses or treatment suggestions and be prepared to correct misinformation while maintaining open and respectful communication.
For patients, the safest approach is to use AI as an information and question-generation tool, not as a replacement for a qualified doctor, nurse, pharmacist or other appropriately trained healthcare professional.
The comments by Philemon Kofi Quansah therefore come at an important moment for Ghana’s healthcare system, as the country seeks to embrace the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence while putting safeguards in place to protect patients, healthcare workers and sensitive medical information.
St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Koforidua identifies Quansah as its Manager and Administrator and describes its services as being delivered within a patient-centred, faith-based healthcare framework.
The emerging conversation ultimately raises a broader question for Ghana’s health sector: How can AI empower patients with better information without undermining professional medical judgment or putting patients at risk?
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