Health workers tackle taboos over drinking with new AI tool

A new AI-powered hub for health professionals aims to help identify alcohol-related risks and launch discussions with patients, including the link between drinking and cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday.“Alcohol harm isn’t abstract,” said Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges, the WHO Europe regional adviser on alcohol. “It can be heart and liver disease. It can be a baby exposed to alcohol before birth. It can be anxiety and depression. It can be a woman who develops breast cancer without ever being told alcohol was a risk.” The launch highlighted the widespread lack of awareness about alcohol-related health risks.‘Not an awkward extra’“We know screening and brief interventions work, but only if health professionals feel able to use them” she continued. “A doctor or nurse with a few minutes between patients can now ask the hub’s AI assistant how to ask about alcohol consumption and get an answer based on WHO evidence. That makes conversations about alcohol a normal part of care, not an awkward extra.”Only 15 per cent of people surveyed in 14 European Union countries know that alcohol can cause breast cancer, WHO said, adding that it actually causes at least se...