The Clinician's Perspective: Can AI Help Restore Human Connection?

This article is part of our series, The Clinician’s Perspective, where we explore the intersection of AI and healthcare through the eyes of our team – former clinicians who understand the realities of patient care firsthand.

Entering “the Matrix” of Modern Healthcare

When I was accepted to medical school, a friend of mine who is a doctor said, “You’re now entering the Matrix.” I didn’t quite understand what he meant. I had such a strong and genuine passion for becoming a psychologist, and although he didn’t mean to dampen my spirit, he wanted to give me a heads-up about the medical system — and the impact it would likely have on me as an individual practitioner. He was referring to becoming a small part of a vast system, doing clinical “production” on a kind of assembly line, with little sense of ownership over your working framework, and constantly battling a growing backlog of administrative tasks.

The Administrative Weight Behind the Work

Years later, when I began working with trauma treatment and PTSD patients, I could understand what he meant. Entering the clinical world made his words resonate deeply. The sense of meaning in my work remained strong — especially in those moments of direct connection with patients — but it was increasingly overshadowed by paperwork. I could recognize the necessity of documentation, yet the sheer volume of administration inevitably affected the quality of my professional life.

More Than Math: The Emotional Cost of Administration

It’s easy to think of administration as a matter of pure arithmetic: How much time does it take, and what would be the productivity gain from making it more efficient? But my focus often turns elsewhere — to the challenge of avoiding cynicism and holding on to the joy and calling of clinical work. In conversations with colleagues across disciplines and levels of experience, I’ve noticed a shared sentiment: most see their role as a calling, driven by a deep sense of meaning and a feeling of “I just had to do this.”

When Documentation Meets Deep Human Suffering

PTSD treatment often involves long sessions — sometimes exceeding 90 minutes. That also means managing extensive documentation while patients with severe trauma share the most painful experiences of their lives. Needless to say, clinicians develop “street-smart” ways of integrating note-taking into the therapeutic process. Yet, being able to listen with full attention — to validate, maintain eye contact, and be completely present — makes an enormous difference in the therapeutic alliance. Every minute spent shifting mental focus to documentation is a minute taken from that human connection.

If AI can help bridge that gap, in what ways is that valuable?

Innovation Is Nothing New in Healthcare

Everyone assumes that the medical and clinical fields are intertwined with continuous research and development. For instance, modern approaches to trauma and PTSD treatment are relatively recent — they’ve overturned long-standing assumptions. To me, this illustrates how human curiosity and the drive to improve can lead to better outcomes for both patients and healthcare professionals.

Relearning What “Good Care” Really Means

If we apply a vanity-free mindset and return to first principles — asking what truly enables excellent care — then I see AI from a practical, even utilitarian perspective: What actually helps things work better?

Protecting the Calling That Powers Healthcare

My two cents to policymakers and healthcare leaders is this: cherish the sense of calling, joy, and meaning that drives the clinical workforce. Any transformation effort in healthcare should include, as a key objective, the preservation and nurturing of this human motivation — because it profoundly affects the quality of patient care.

That is the fundamentally human side of medicine — something AI can never replace. Yet, precisely because it is so essential, AI might be the tool that helps us protect and make the most of it.

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About Elizabeth Guest

‍Elizabeth is a clinical psychologist with a background spanning trauma research, clinical practice, and healthcare innovation. Educated at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Cambridge, she has worked across Sweden’s public healthcare system and serves as Vice Chairman of the National Association of Clinical Psychologists. At Tandem Health, Elizabeth brings together clinical expertise and strategic vision to help shape AI-powered tools that restore time, presence, and meaning to the work of care.

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