Using Generative AI to Make Healthcare Decisions: Stories from Patients

Symposium Editors Ana Iltis & Zubin Master

We’re inviting people who have used generative AI to help make healthcare decisions to share their stories for an upcoming issue of NIB. NIB is read by healthcare workers, people who study ethics, patients, and family members. It is sometimes used in educational programs to help improve patient care.

We seek stories about using AI tools to understand symptoms, learn about diagnoses or treatments, compare care options, and ultimately, to make decisions about healthcare. We want true, personal stories in a form that is interesting and easy to read. Please share this invitation and guide sheet with individuals who may be interested in sharing their stories.In writing your story, consider these questions:

• What circumstances led you to use generative AI to look for health information or to help you make a healthcare decision?
• What was positive about the experience? How did you feel about the quality of information? Did it increase your confidence in making a healthcare decision?
• What was negative or unhelpful about using AI to help make healthcare decisions?
• If you discussed the AI-generated information with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional, what was that experience like? If you did not discuss it, why not?
• What concerns did you have, for example, about privacy, trust, or safety?
• What advice would you offer to someone who is considering using generative AI for health information or healthcare decisions?
• What advice would you offer to healthcare professionals, researchers, developers, or policymakers about the use of generative AI in healthcare?

You do not need to answer each question. Just write about the issues that feel most important for you to share. If you do not consider yourself a writer, you can tell your story in your words, and our staff will help you make edits. Please send your story to editor@narrativebioethics.com. Stories should be between 800 – 2,000 words. You may send a Word document, type the story in the body of an email, or share a Google Doc. Please contact us if you have questions. If you would like to first make sure your story is a good fit, send a short description to the email above of the story you want to share and we will reply.

We will review all submitted stories to decide which ones to include for publication, with priority given to stories received by November 16, 2026.

For more information about the journal Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, the guidelines for authors, and privacy policies visit our webpage at http://nibjournal.org/submit/guidelines/.

We plan to publish 12 stories on this topic in our print edition; additional stories may be published as online-only supplemental material. We also publish 3 – 4 commentary articles that discuss the stories and lessons learned. To see a finished issue, please visit the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics’ VOICES page. https://nibjournal.org/voices/

Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics is indexed in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PhilPapers.
The journal is published by the Johns Hopkins University Press and is available in print and electronically to over 1,200 institutional subscribers via Project MUSE.