Making Our Practice More Productive in 2026
Back when I was a high school student, I took a chemistry class that required extensive, tedious, quantitative calculations. Calculators were new at the time. They were quite expensive, and not everyone had access to one. Rather than allow some students to use a calculator, we used slide rules to multiply the ion concentrations in a reaction and determine whether the chemicals would precipitate based on their solubility product constants. Using a calculator would have been so much simpler and efficient.
Many years later, I see history repeating itself. As a professor of dermatology, I am on the graduate faculty and receive rules for how to use (or not use) artificial intelligence (AI) to create my course syllabus. There are also directives for how students should not be using AI to complete their assignments. AI is such a powerful tool, much more so than the calculator would have been in my high school chemistry class. I would not ask my students to use a slide rule to do their mathematical computations today. I think we should be encouraging use of technologies that enhance our productivity, and learning to be facile with AI is a useful skill.
AI is a powerful tool for learning, writing, and crystallizing and sharing thoughts and ideas. It can be helpful for many things we do in dermatology. Tools like OpenEvidence.com can be used to help us with diagnoses and treatment plans. Other AI tools can help us write letters to patients and insurers.
I received an email from Dr Faranak Kamangar, board-certified dermatologist, engineer, and founder of DermGPT, an AI tool designed to improve clinical efficiency. She suggested making patient information sheets by pasting into the AI of your choice the following:
“Create a 1-page FAQ for patients starting [medication] for [condition]. Include answers (2–3 sentences, 6th-grade reading level, reassuring tone) to: How and when do I use this? When will I see results? What changes are normal in the first few weeks? What symptoms are concerning? What if I miss a dose? Can I use other products? When should I call? End with: Questions? Call our office at [your number].”
In our first issue of 2026, we explore the top trends in our field, including digital measurement tools and augmented intelligence-based devices. This year, consider making greater use of AI. It does not replace the human contribution in school or in medicine, but it can be a worthwhile complement to help make our practice more productive.
