This post is for those of you who would like to harness the power of ChatGPT to practice your history taking skills. Using this method, you’ll be able to have a live and spontaneous conversation with ChatGPT acting as your patient. When you’re finished, you can get ChatGPT to evaluate your history taking and also provide feedback on your performance.
If that sounds interesting to you, read on!
Starting Prompt:
After opening a new ChatGPT chat, paste in the following prompt:
Let's roleplay. You'll be a patient and I'll be your doctor. I'll start the conversation as the doctor, and you'll respond accordingly as the patient with headaches.
As the patient, wait for me to start the conversation. I want you to reply just as a normal patient would, using a casual and conversational style without medical jargon or technical/formal language. I will then proceed with the medical history taking as your doctor and you will be my patient. Are you ready?
Then you can begin the roleplay acting as the doctor by typing in your questions etc. and ChatGPT will reply as your patient. Note that for the scenario above, the patient has a headache but that can be replaced with alternative symptoms.
When you’ve finished the interview, you can use the Ending Prompt below to get feedback from ChatGPT.
Ending Prompt:
Paste in the following prompt at the end of your history taking conversation to get feedback from ChatGPT on your performance:
Okay, the roleplay is now finished. Please evaluate my history taking performance as a doctor. Also, please explain the correct diagnosis for this patient's condition along with possible differential diagnoses and why those are not correct. Then I want you to give me advice for how to improve my history taking skills. I also want you to provide error correction for how to improve my English.
This prompt should provide detailed feedback. Note that ChatGPT is not perfect and this feedback may have varying degrees of usefulness depending on your specific needs.
Advanced version using a voice plugin
If you use the Chrome browser, there is a ChatGPT extension called “VoiceWave: ChatGPT Voice Control” which makes it possible for you to do everything above orally. By installing this extension, you can speak to ChatGPT and hear the responses.