Work

Guardrails for GenAI drafted replies in patient portal messaging

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: GenAI is increasingly used to draft replies to patient portal messages to reduce clinician workload. Evidence shows modest utilization and measurable workflow effects, alongside safety risks when clinicians miss errors or accept drafts with minimal editing. As deployments scale with deeper EHR integration and expanding transparency mandates, this Comment proposes governance that preserves efficiency without normalizing unsafe delegation: scoped use, risk tiering, accountable human authorship, auditability, and patient-facing transparency.

Source: npj Digital Medicine

DOI: 10.1038/s41746-026-02621-6

Author: Johnny Sakr

Institution: Prince Sultan University

Language: English

Topic: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education

Subfield: Health Informatics

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,090