Healthcare RAG: AI Assistant for the Medical Sector

TL;DR

Healthcare RAG helps medical facilities answer patients' administrative questions, leverage internal protocols, and train teams. Important: AI is not intended to provide medical advice. It handles administrative and informational aspects only.

Important precautions

What healthcare RAG CAN do

• ✅ Administrative information (hours, appointments)
• ✅ Exam preparation (fasting, documents to bring)
• ✅ Directing to the right department
• ✅ FAQ on procedures
• ✅ Team support (protocols, procedures)

What healthcare RAG must NOT do

• ❌ Provide a diagnosis
• ❌ Recommend a treatment
• ❌ Interpret exam results
• ❌ Replace a healthcare professional's opinion

Validated use cases

1. Automated patient reception

Administrative questions:

Patient: "How do I make an appointment with a dermatologist?"

Chatbot: "To see a dermatologist at our facility:

With a referral:

1. Call 555-XXX-XXXX (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm)
2. Or book online: [Booking Link]
3. Average wait: 2-3 weeks

Without a referral:

• Consultation possible but may not be covered by insurance
• Same booking process

Documents to bring:

• Insurance card
• Primary care referral (if you have one)
• Previous exam results (if relevant)

📄 Source: Patient_Guide_Dermatology.pdf"

2. Exam preparation

Patient: "I have a colonoscopy scheduled, how do I prepare?"

Chatbot: "Here are the preparation instructions for your colonoscopy:

3 days before:

• Low-residue diet (no fruits, vegetables, whole grains)
• List of allowed foods: [Link to guide]

The day before:

• Light lunch
• Start bowel prep at 6pm (prescribed product)
• Drink plenty of clear fluids

Day of:

• Nothing by mouth (no food, drink, or smoking)
• Come with someone (you won't be able to drive after)
• Bring: ID, insurance card, prescription

Important: These general instructions complement your doctor's orders. If in doubt, contact the department: 555-XXX-XXXX.

📄 Source: Colonoscopy_Preparation.pdf"

3. Department routing

Patient: "I've had knee pain for 3 days, who should I see?"

Chatbot: "I cannot assess your health condition, but here are your options:

If mild to moderate pain: → Consult your primary care physician first

If severe pain or following trauma: → Orthopedic emergency: Building B, Ground Floor → Or call 911 in case of emergency

To book an orthopedics appointment: → 555-XXX-XXXX (with referral from primary care)

⚠️ When in doubt about severity, always contact a healthcare professional."

4. Healthcare team support

For internal healthcare professionals:

Nurse: "Blood transfusion protocol?"

Chatbot: "Here's the transfusion protocol (v3.2, April 2025):

Before transfusion:

1. Patient ID verification (2 identifiers)
2. Final bedside check
3. ABO compatibility verification
4. Baseline vitals (temp, BP, HR)

During:

• Continuous monitoring first 15 minutes
• Then every 30 min
• Document in patient record

After:

• Vitals at H+1
• Traceability in system
• Keep bag refrigerated for 2h

📄 Source: Transfusion_Protocol_v3.2.pdf

In case of transfusion reaction: [Emergency procedure]"

Secure architecture

Data separation

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            Healthcare RAG - Architecture            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                     │
│  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────┐    │
│  │  Patient Portal │    │  Staff Portal       │    │
│  │  (public)       │    │  (authenticated)    │    │
│  └────────┬────────┘    └──────────┬──────────┘    │
│           │                        │               │
│           ▼                        ▼               │
│  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────┐    │
│  │  Public docs    │    │  Internal protocols │    │
│  │  - Patient FAQ  │    │  - Procedures       │    │
│  │  - Prep guides  │    │  - Training         │    │
│  │  - Hours        │    │  - Guidelines       │    │
│  └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────────┘    │
│                                                     │
│  ❌ No personal patient data                       │
│  ❌ No medical records                             │
│                                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Security and compliance

• HIPAA compliant hosting: Healthcare-certified infrastructure
• Encryption: AES-256 + TLS 1.3
• Audit: Complete access traceability
• Privacy: No personal data in RAG

Implementation

Data sources (patient portal)

📁 Patient base/
├── 📄 Welcome_booklet.pdf
├── 📄 Patient_rights.pdf
├── 📁 Exam_preparations/
│   ├── Colonoscopy.pdf
│   ├── MRI.pdf
│   ├── CT_scan.pdf
│   └── Outpatient_surgery.pdf
├── 📁 Departments/
│   ├── Emergency.pdf
│   ├── Maternity.pdf
│   └── Cardiology.pdf
└── 📁 FAQ/
    ├── Administrative.pdf
    └── Parking.pdf

Prompt configuration (patient)

You are the virtual reception assistant for [Facility].
You help patients with administrative and practical questions.

STRICT RULES:
- NEVER give medical advice
- NEVER interpret symptoms
- Always cite the source document
- For medical questions, direct to a professional
- For emergencies, indicate to call 911 or go to the ER

You can answer about:
- Appointments
- Exam preparation
- Practical information (hours, access, parking)
- Department directions
- Administrative procedures

Prompt configuration (staff)

You are the documentation assistant for healthcare teams at [Facility].
You help quickly find protocols, procedures, and guidelines.

RULES:
- ALWAYS cite the reference and document version
- Indicate the last update date
- For critical protocols, recommend verifying the paper version
- You do not replace the clinician's professional judgment

You have access to:
- Care protocols
- Nursing procedures
- Medical guidelines
- Training and e-learning

Expected results

Reception impact

Team impact

Healthcare best practices

1. Medical validation of content

• All integrated documents must be validated by the relevant department
• Strict protocol versioning
• Regular review (at least annual)

2. Clear boundaries

• Systematic disclaimer messages for medical questions
• Automatic redirect to professionals
• No gray areas

3. Team training

• Explain what RAG can and cannot do
• Encourage feedback on errors
• Continuous source updates

4. Accessibility

• Simple language for patient portal
• Translation if multilingual population
• Screen reader compatibility

Conclusion

Healthcare RAG improves patient experience and team efficiency while respecting the sector's strict regulatory framework. The key: confine AI to administrative and informational aspects, never medical advice.

Ready to modernize your patient reception? Discover our healthcare solutions →

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Related guides

• RAG for HR - Similar approach for teams
• Introduction to RAG - Understand fundamentals
• RAG in production - Secure deployment

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