Work

Uses of generative AI by non-clinician staff at an academic medical center

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Large language model (LLM) chat tools have the potential to transform healthcare workflows by improving efficiency and reducing administrative burdens. While prior research has predominantly focused on clinicians, non-clinician healthcare staff constitute the majority of the workforce, and their real-world chat tool use remains uncharacterized. This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed de-identified chat logs from a secure, HIPAA-compliant LLM chat tool deployed at an academic medical center over an 11-month period. Among 30,503 chat threads analyzed, 98% originated from non-clinician users across 239 roles. Usage was dominated by administrative tasks including email and document writing (53.9%), text manipulation (9.1%), and brainstorming (6.7%). A notable proportion of interactions included off-label queries unrelated to work or organizational goals, including 5.9% involving clinical decision-making. These findings highlight the need for targeted training, tailored governance policies, and refined evaluation frameworks to optimize appropriate LLM use while mitigating risks in healthcare settings.

Source: npj Health Systems

DOI: 10.1038/s44401-025-00063-y