What Patients Want From AI-Drafted Portal Messages—Empathy in the In-Basket - Scorecard - MDSpire

What Patients Want From AI-Drafted Portal Messages—Empathy in the In-Basket

  • By

  • Teva Brender

  • Elizabeth Dzeng

  • July 7, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Scorecard: Patient Expectations for AI-Generated Portal Communications: The Importance of Empathy in Messaging

At a Glance

CategoryDetail
ConditionAI in Healthcare Communications
Key MechanismsUse of AI to generate empathic responses and manage administrative tasks in patient communications.
Target PopulationPatients interacting with healthcare portals.
Care SettingAcademic health centers utilizing AI for patient messaging.

Key Highlights

  • Patients rate AI-generated messages as more empathetic than human-drafted ones.
  • Disclosure of AI authorship affects patient satisfaction.
  • Patients prefer concise responses for lower-stakes communications.
  • Higher-stakes communications may benefit from AI-generated, personalized messages.
  • Ongoing research is needed to understand diverse patient perspectives on AI.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

    Management

    • Clinicians should disclose AI use and retain oversight in communications.

    Monitoring & Follow-up

      Risks

      • Concerns about loss of human connection and reliability of AI-generated messages.

      Patient & Prescribing Data

      Patients using electronic health portals.

      Patients are generally comfortable with AI in messaging if oversight is maintained.

      Clinical Best Practices

      • Utilize AI for administrative tasks to free clinician time for patient interaction.
      • Consider AI as a tool for enhancing communication skills through training and feedback.

      Related Resources & Content

      Original Source(s)

      What Patients Want From AI-Drafted Portal Messages—Empathy in the In-Basket

      • by Teva Brender, Elizabeth Dzeng

      • July 7, 2026

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