Background
This case study involves a patient who raised a complaint about their healthcare and asked for it to be escalated to Stage Two of the complaints process.
When the provider agreed for the complaint to be escalated, they sent a letter asking the patient to confirm the “heads of complaint” – a required step that clearly sets out the specific issues to be investigated at Stage Two.
What Went Wrong
The patient was unhappy with the escalation letter and felt that not all the points they wanted included had been accepted. They refused to confirm the heads of complaint.
At the same time, the patient was using artificial intelligence (AI) to help draft their correspondence. While AI can be a useful writing tool, in this case it created some unintended problems:
- The complaint letters contained complex legal language that was not needed.
- They raised multiple procedural and legal arguments that were not relevant to the original complaint.
- The provider was asked to respond to many additional points, which made it difficult to identify the core concerns.
Because the heads of complaint were never agreed, the complaint process could not move forward and effectively came to a halt.
Outcome
The situation became prolonged and frustrating for both the patient and the provider. The original issues the patient wanted addressed could not be investigated until the complaint was clearly defined in plain terms.
Tips For Patients About Using AI for Complaints
AI tools can be helpful, but they work best when used carefully and thoughtfully.
How AI Can Help
- Organising your thoughts clearly.
- Improving spelling, grammar, and structure.
- Helping you write calmly and clearly when emotions are high.
- Turning notes into a clear, readable letter.
How AI Can Hinder
- Adding legal or technical language that isn’t needed.
- Introducing issues that are unrelated to your experience.
- Making your complaint harder to understand.
- Slowing down the process by creating confusion.
Practical Tips for Patients
- Focus on what happened to you, not legal arguments.
- Use simple, clear language – plain English is best.
- Stick to the key issues you want investigated.
- Review any AI-generated text and remove anything that doesn’t feel relevant or accurate.
- Do not make it too lengthy.
- If asked to confirm the heads of complaint, do so – this helps move your complaint forward.
Reassurance for Patients
You do not need legal language or complex arguments for your complaint to be taken seriously. What matters most is a clear explanation of your experience and what outcome you are seeking.
AI can be a useful support, but it should help you be clearer, not make the process more complicated. Healthcare complaint processes are designed to be accessible to patients, and keeping your concerns straightforward can help ensure they are addressed as quickly and fairly as possible.
NB: ISCAS has produced a checklist for patients to use if they choose to use AI to support them in writing a complaint. Please check out the publications page of the ISCAS website.