ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (AI), the uprising technology of computer science aiming to create digital systems with human behavior and intelligence, seems to have invaded almost every field of modern life. Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a textual AI application capable of creating human-like responses characterized by original language and high coherence. Although AI-based language models have demonstrated impressive capabilities in healthcare, ChatGPT has received controversial annotations from the scientific and academic communities. This chatbot already appears to have a massive impact as an educational tool for healthcare professionals and transformative potential for clinical practice and could lead to dramatic changes in scientific research. Nevertheless, rational concerns were raised regarding whether the pre-trained, AI-generated text would be a menace not only for original thinking and new scientific ideas but also for academic and research integrity, as it gets more and more difficult to distinguish its AI origin due to the coherence and fluency of the produced text. This short review aims to summarize the potential applications and the consequential implications of ChatGPT in the three critical pillars of medicine: education, research, and clinical practice. In addition, this paper discusses whether the current use of this chatbot is in compliance with the ethical principles for the safe use of AI in healthcare, as determined by the World Health Organization. Finally, this review highlights the need for an updated ethical framework and the increased vigilance of healthcare stakeholders to harvest the potential benefits and limit the imminent dangers of this new innovative technology.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Quantitative olfactory assessment is often neglected in clinical practice, although olfactory loss can assist to diagnosis and may lead to significant morbidity. "Sniffin' Sticks" is a modern test of nasal chemosensory performance that is based on penlike odor-dispensing devices. It consists of three tests of olfactory function: odor threshold, odor discrimination, and odor identification. The results of this test may be presented as a composite threshold-discrimination-identification (TDI) score. The aim of this study was first to develop normative data of olfactory function for the Greek population using this test and second to relate olfactory performance to age, sex, and side examined. STUDY DESIGN: The authors conducted a prospective clinical trial. METHODS: A total of 93 healthy subjects were included in the study, 48 males and 45 females, mean age of 44.5 years (range, 6-84 years). RESULTS: A database of normal values for olfactory testing was established for the Greek population. Females performed better than males and older subjects performed less efficiently in all tests. We also found a right nostril advantage compared with the left. Additionally, scores obtained from bilateral presentation were similar with scores obtained from the nostril with the better performance. CONCLUSIONS: The "Sniffin' Sticks" can be used effectively in the Greek population to evaluate olfactory performance. Mean values of olfactory tests obtained were better in comparison with data from settings located in central and northern Europe.
