Weekly Health Digest: OpenAI Hallucinations, Kratom Addictions, Pediatric Preparedness, Sugar Deprivation

OpenAI’s Transcription Tool Hallucinates. Hospitals Are Using It Anyway.

By Benji Edwards, WIRED

Recent investigations into OpenAI’s transcription tool Whisper revealed the software produced false text in medical and business settings. The act of inaccurate transcription, also known as “confabulation” and “hallucination”, is common according to AI experts. The Whisper transcription tool has grown in popularity in US hospitals, despite OpenAI’s caution against its use in “high-risk domains”. 

Whisper uses information from databases to transcribe audio, assuming what a speaker will say based off the information it gets from these sources. The quality of each of the thousands of databases used to train Whisper is not closely monitored. Therefore, this system does not necessarily ensure an accurate response.

Investigators founds instances of completely fabricated text in some audio samples. More than one-third included racially charged and violent context not present in the originally audio. Such hallucination suggests that bias and prejudice from the source databases informed these additions. 

 Nabla, a medical tech company who works alongside OpenAI, says that Whisper does not save original audio recordings due to safety concerns. Yet, there is no way to check the accuracy of the transcriptions without the original audio. This design flaw limits communication between doctors and patients,  disproportionately affecting deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. 

Healthcare companies and systems continue to implement these flawed systems in an attempt to cut costs. More research is needed to improve transcription tools like Whisper to make them appropriate for use in healthcare and other high-risk settings. 

— by Lauryn Palacio

This kratom drink was marketed as an alcohol alternative to be sold over the counter. Some consumers say it led to addiction.

By Lauren Fichten, CBS News

The Feel Free Classic drink was marketed by the Botanic Tonics company as “a miracle” alternative to alcohol. The beverage contains kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia that is currently unregulated in the United States. Kratom can not only increase energy levels, decrease pain, and ease anxiety, but it also carries the risk of addiction, seizures, and liver toxicity, according to the FDA.

Feel Free Classic consumers, including 29-year-old Jasmine Adeoye, have reported becoming addicted to the beverage. Adeoye started drinking Feel Free Classic at the beginning of her sobriety journey and considered kratom to be a relatively harmless ingredient, similar to matcha or coffee. She soon found herself addicted to the drink, however, consuming 10 times the recommended daily amount and experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. Adeoye is not alone in her experience. Other individuals who have struggled with kratom addiction have created online podcasts, support groups, and books dedicated to quitting.

A class action lawsuit filed in California in 2023 alleges that Botanic Tonics advertised Feel Free Classic as a safe alternative to alcohol without any mention of the potential dangers of kratom. Botanic Tonics has since implemented changes such as improving product labeling, raising age restrictions to 21, investing in research, and expanding consumer education.

— by Stephanie Oehler

1 in 4 Child Deaths After E.R. Visits Are Preventable, Study Finds

By Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times

Up to 80 percent of emergency departments in the United States are not readily equipped to handle pediatric emergencies, a new study finds. Specifically, 1 in 4 child deaths after emergency room visits could be prevented if “pediatric readiness” was prioritized. 

The total cost of properly equipping hospitals to handle pediatric emergencies is minimal at less than $12 for every child. Preparations for pediatric emergencies include child-size equipment, pediatric-specific training, and protocols for pediatric vital signs and resuscitation. 

This isn’t a loft goal–it could be achieved by health centers regardless of size or location. Unfortunately, it is often deprioritized by struggling health centers, especially in rural areas, meaning “pediatric readiness” may be hard to find. Only a third of children in the country are near an emergency department that is highly equipped for care. 

Researchers suggest incentivizing hospitals to increase preparedness through reimbursement models and setting a threshold readiness score. This has the potential to significantly decrease child mortality in emergency situations.

— by Aanya Ravichander

Being Sugar-Deprived Had Major Effects on These Children’s Health

By Gina Kolata, New York Times

A recent study published in Science found that individuals who were restricted to limited amounts of sugar in childhood were less likely to suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure later in their lives. 

The study focuses on the strict rationing that took place in the United Kingdom during World War II. The average sugar intake by the British then doubled after the rationing ended in September 1953. The researchers involved in the study aimed to investigate how the health of those born during the sugar rationing compared to the health those born after the ration ended. They were able to analyze the health of 60,183 people by leveraging the UK BioBank database, which contains medical and genetic information on over 500,000 British residents.  

The researchers found that the people who were exposed to sugar rationing in childhood had a 35 percent lower risk of diabetes and a 20 percent lower risk of high blood pressure in middle age. Disease onset was also delayed by four years for diabetes and by two years for high blood pressure. Aryeh Stein, a global health professor at Emory University, says that changes in DNA could also explain these health outcomes. 

The findings from this study add to the current body of evidence suggesting that nutrition in the early years of life is crucial and can impact a person’s health in adulthood.

— by Alexa Morales

Items summarized by: Lauryn Palacio, Stephanie Oehler, Aanya Ravichander, Alexa Morales