AI risks for people seeking medical advice; How AI affects content performance; Barriers for minority groups
Study finds AI presents risks to people seeking medical advice
The largest user study of large language models (LLMs) for assisting the general public in medical decisions has found that they present risks to people seeking medical advice due to their tendency to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information.
The research, published in Naure, reveals a major gap between the promise of large language models (LLMs) and their usefulness for people seeking medical advice. While these models now excel at standardised tests of medical knowledge, they pose risks to real users seeking help with their own medical symptoms.
The study was carried out by the Oxford Internet Institute and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, in partnership with MLCommons. The research team received support form the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Read a summary on the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre website.
Read the full study on the Nature website.
Listen: 'How the internet hijacked our health'
Deborah Cohen's new book 'How the internet hijacked our health' explores the profound impact of the internet on our wellbeing.
In a new podcast with BMJ Editor Kamran Abbasi, they discuss the ways in which online information can both empower and mislead and the role of big tech in shaping our wellbeing. They also look at the complex and disturbing ways wellness influencers are becoming more trusted than the NHS.
Listen to the podcast via the BMJ here.
How AI impacts content performance
The content design team at Scope, a disability equality charity, have collaborated with Nia Campbell, a long-standing PIF member and collaborator. They held a session to examine the impact of AI on content performance at Scope. Stephanie Coulshed, Scope's Programme Lead - Content Design, published a blog after the meetup that considers how people might use AI to find support and advice. She looks at what that might that mean for content designers, and for users or customers.
Over the last 6 months Scope have seen a drop in active users compared to the same month last year. The average drop over this period was 13%. Although this is less than the 25% reduction seen by some health charities, it’s still significant. The blog notes: “We do see views from AI referrals going up — but on a much smaller scale. The increase is a few hundred a month compared to the 30 thousand or so general reduction.”
You can see more blogs on content design, research and testing and accessibility from the Scope team. The team also consider co-production and managing work on the Medium site.
Barriers to healthcare for minority ethnic communities
The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Dementia and Neurodegeneration in Exeter has published two policy briefs. They come from its project, called Reducing inequalities across the care pathway for minority ethnic communities.
The first considers the barriers and facilitators to health care for people from minority ethnic communities living with a neurodegenerative condition. People from minority ethnic backgrounds can face distinctive challenges in accessing appropriate care. To ensure equitable access, we need to understand the barriers and facilitators affecting service use.
The second brief considers ways to improve awareness of and reducing the stigma associated with neurodegenerative conditions in Black British and South Asian communities. As the ethnic composition of the UK changes, health and social care systems face growing challenges in delivering equitable, effective care. People from Black British and South Asian communities living with neurodegenerative conditions experience inequities across the care pathway, contributing to poorer health outcomes and quality of life.
Read the policy brief in full.
Webinar: Outreach on radiotherapy and oncology
Join Radiotherapy UK for the next RTUK Talks on February 25 from 12.30pm to 1.15pm.
Rose Ting, therapeutic radiographer and Ambassador, will be speaking about her lived experience in community outreach. The webinar will share her work raising awareness of radiotherapy and oncology within Chinese-speaking Asian communities. It opens an honest and practical conversation about cultural awareness in healthcare, and the barriers non English-speaking and underrepresented groups face in accessing life-saving information and care.
Join the free session on Zoom via this link.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l97H3SxnRzOxrzSm2sxYrQ
NHS study will 'pick apart mental illness with data science'
Thousands of people living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression are being recruited by the NHS into a study that aims to find new treatment approaches from DNA samples and medical record data.
In the GlobalMinds study, researchers will analyse the DNA of 49,000 volunteers from England and Wales, using at-home sampling kits, and combine the results with detailed questionnaires and their health records to try to find associations between "genes, background, biology, and mental health," according to NHS England.
Read all about the study on PharmaPhorum.
ALLIANCE reflects on a year of successes
The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), the national third sector membership organisation for the health and social care sector, has published its annual report. In 2025, its membership grew to over 3,700 organisations and individuals.
Highlights include:
- 25 new Humans of Scotland stories amplifying lived experience
- 66,336 referrals to support people facing isolation, poverty and debt
- Expansion of digital inclusion work
- Major contributions to national policy, including shaping the Care Reform Act.
Read the full report on the ALLIANCE website.
How protocol meets practice in clinical trials
A new report from PIF TICK-certified Cuttsy+Cuttsy delves into the daily realities of clinical research, focusing on the site staff who make every trial possible.
The Site Factor is based on day-to-day experiences of over 100 patient-facing site staff across nine countries. It captures the perspectives, expertise, and practical challenges site staff navigate as key members of the trial team.
Sign up to receive a copy of the report on the Cuttsy+Cuttsy website.