ChatGPT: promise and challenges for deployment in low- and middle-income countries

Xiaofei Wang; Hayley M Sanders; Yuchen Liu; Kennarey Seang; Bach Xuan Tran; Atanas G Atanasov; Yue Qiu; Shenglan Tang; Josip Car; Ya Xing Wang; Tien Yin Wong; Yih-Chung Tham; Kevin C Chung

doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100905

ChatGPT: promise and challenges for deployment in low- and middle-income countries

Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2023 Sep 15:41:100905. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100905. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Xiaofei Wang¹, Hayley M Sanders², Yuchen Liu¹, Kennarey Seang³, Bach Xuan Tran^{4

5}, Atanas G Atanasov^{6

7}, Yue Qiu⁸, Shenglan Tang⁹, Josip Car^{10

11}, Ya Xing Wang¹², Tien Yin Wong^{13

14

15}, Yih-Chung Tham^{13

16

17}, Kevin C Chung²

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
² Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ Grant Management Office, University of Health Sciences, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
⁴ Department of Health Economics, Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁵ Institute of Health Economics and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁶ Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Digital Health and Patient Safety, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
⁷ Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, 05-552, Magdalenka, Poland.
⁸ Institute for Hospital Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
⁹ Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
¹⁰ Centre for Population Health Sciences, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore.
¹¹ Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
¹² Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Science Key Lab, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
¹³ Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.
¹⁴ Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
¹⁵ School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, China.
¹⁶ Centre for Innovation and Precision Eye Health, Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁷ Ophthalmology and Visual Science Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

Abstract

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the fields of medicine and public health grapple with numerous challenges that continue to hinder patients' access to healthcare services. ChatGPT, a publicly accessible chatbot, has emerged as a potential tool in aiding public health efforts in LMICs. This viewpoint details the potential benefits of employing ChatGPT in LMICs to improve medicine and public health encompassing a broad spectrum of domains ranging from health literacy, screening, triaging, remote healthcare support, mental health support, multilingual capabilities, healthcare communication and documentation, medical training and education, and support for healthcare professionals. Additionally, we also share potential concerns and limitations associated with the use of ChatGPT and provide a balanced discussion on the opportunities and challenges of using ChatGPT in LMICs.

Keywords: ChatGPT; Equity; Global health; Large language model; Low to middle income countries; Public health.

Publication types

Review