AI-Assisted Healthcare: Doctor First, AI Second AI 辅助就医：医生第一，AI 第二

In Canada, when people feel unwell, many no longer call their family doctor or head to an emergency room first. Increasingly, they search their symptoms online — or ask an AI tool. 在加拿大，当身体出现不适，许多人的第一反应已经不再是立刻给家庭医生打电话，或者去急诊室排队，而是先上网搜索症状，或者直接问 AI。

There's a practical reason for that. According to 2024 data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), only about 30% of adult respondents in Ontario could see their family doctor the same day or the next. January 2026 data showed emergency department patients waited an average of 1.7 hours from registration and triage to first seeing a physician, and patients who didn't need admission spent about 3 hours in the department overall. 这背后有很现实的原因。根据加拿大健康信息研究所（CIHI）2024 年的数据，安省仅有约 30% 的成年受访者能在当天或第二天约见自己的家庭医生。2026 年 1 月的数据显示，急诊患者从登记分流到首次见到医生平均需要等待 1.7 小时；即使是不需要住院的患者，在急诊室的平均停留时间也长达 3 小时。

Interest in AI-assisted healthcare is growing alongside it. In a North American healthcare consumer survey, 71% of respondents said they were interested in AI-assisted diagnosis when reviewed by a physician, and 73% were interested in AI-assisted care navigation tools. 与此同时，人们对 AI 辅助就医的兴趣也在增长。北美一项医疗消费行为调查显示，71% 的受访者对"经医生复核的 AI 辅助诊断"感兴趣，73% 的人愿意尝试 AI 辅助的就医导航工具。

AI can genuinely make healthcare easier to navigate — but only inside the right boundaries. The rule is simple. AI 确实能让复杂的就医流程变得容易一些——但前提是用在正确的边界之内。原则其实很简单。

What AI can — and cannot — do for your health厘清边界：什么该用 AI，什么不该用

Don't use AI to:绝对不要用 AI 做的事

• Diagnose a condition or prescribe medication. AI can't provide a legally recognized diagnosis or prescription. Prescription treatments — including GLP-1 medications used for weight management or blood sugar control — require assessment by an appropriately licensed healthcare professional.确诊疾病与开具处方。AI 无法给出法定诊断。包括近年备受关注的 GLP-1 类减重或控糖处方药在内，处方治疗必须由持牌医生进行临床评估后开具。
• Assess an emergency. Chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, major injuries or other potentially life-threatening symptoms should never be run past AI first. Call 911 or seek emergency care immediately.急诊与重症自测。胸痛、呼吸困难、严重外伤等紧急状况，千万不要浪费时间询问 AI，必须立刻拨打 911 或前往急诊室。
• Make final decisions about OHIP or insurance coverage. AI can help locate and explain publicly available information, but eligibility, reimbursement and coverage decisions depend on official rules, your individual circumstances and the organization involved.最终政策裁决。关于 OHIP 覆盖范围和商业保险报销，AI 可以帮你检索条款，但最终的资格认定与报销确认，取决于官方规则、你的个人情况和相关机构的审核。

AI is genuinely useful for:可以放心用 AI 做的事

• Organizing symptoms and medical history before an appointment把零散的症状和病史整理清楚
• Turning a scattered description into a clear clinical summary in English将口语化描述转成条理清晰的英文病史摘要
• Explaining unfamiliar medical terminology in plain language把看不懂的医学名词和化验单指标翻译成大白话
• Preparing the questions you want to ask帮你整理想问医生的问题
• Keeping track of symptoms while you wait for a referral在等待转介期间记录症状变化
• Helping identify possible healthcare resources for non-emergency situations面对庞杂的安省医疗系统时，做初步的资源匹配

The goal isn't to let AI make the medical decision. It's to help you arrive better prepared when a healthcare professional makes it. 目的不是让 AI 替你做医疗决定，而是让你在见到医生时准备得更充分。

Three practical ways to use AI in Ontario's healthcare system落地指引：如何用 AI 优化你的就医路线

1. Before your appointment: organize your medical information1. 就诊前：整理病史清单，缩短沟通时间

Appointments with family doctors and walk-in clinics are short. Under pressure, it's easy to forget an important symptom, a medication or a date. Before your visit, you can give an AI tool: 加拿大的医生诊疗时间非常紧张。人一紧张，很容易漏掉关键症状、药名或日期。在就诊前，你可以把这些信息交给 AI：

• Your main symptoms主要症状
• When they started, and how they've changed发生时间及变化过程
• Current medications正在服用的药物
• Allergies过敏史
• Relevant medical history相关既往病史
• The questions you want to ask你想问医生的问题

AI can then organize it into a simple clinical summary, under headings like: Chief Complaint → Onset & Duration → Current Symptoms → Medical History → Medications → Allergies. Bringing that to the appointment means less gets lost to nerves or a language barrier. AI 可以据此整理成一份简单的"就诊摘要"（Clinical Summary），按主诉（Chief Complaint）→ 症状起始与持续时间（Onset & Duration）→ 当前症状 → 既往病史 → 用药 → 过敏史 排列。带着这份清单去见医生，能避免因紧张或语言障碍漏掉关键信息。

The summary is not a diagnosis. It's a tool to help you communicate with your healthcare provider more effectively. 这份摘要不是诊断，只是一个帮助你与医生更有效沟通的工具。

2. Deciding where to start: pharmacy, doctor, walk-in or emergency?2. 分流判断：该去药房、医生、Walk-in 还是急诊？

Ontario's healthcare system has several entry points, and not every concern needs an emergency department. AI can help you understand the options before you seek professional care. 安省的医疗系统有多个入口，并不是每个健康问题都需要去急诊。在寻求专业医疗之前，AI 可以帮你先了解有哪些选择。

For example, since July 1, 2026, eligible Ontario pharmacists can assess and treat 28 designated minor ailments — including mild acne, dermatitis, diaper dermatitis and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Ontario residents with a valid health card generally receive the pharmacist assessment without an assessment fee. AI can help you compare your symptoms against the official list, but the pharmacist still decides whether the condition is appropriate for pharmacy treatment. 举个例子：自 2026 年 7 月 1 日起，安省合资格药剂师已经可以评估并治疗 28 种指定轻微病症，包括轻度痤疮、皮炎、尿布疹和无并发症的尿路感染等。持有效安省健康卡（OHIP）的居民通常无需支付评估费。你可以先用 AI 比对自己的症状是否在这 28 种范围内——但最终是否适合由药剂师处理，仍由药剂师判断。

If you're unsure where to start with a non-emergency concern, you can also: 如果是非紧急状况但不确定该从哪里开始，你还可以：

• Call Health811 for free health advice from a registered nurse, any time of day致电 Health811，任何时间都能获得注册护士的免费健康指导
• Contact your family doctor联系你的家庭医生
• Visit an appropriate walk-in clinic前往合适的 Walk-in 诊所
• Speak with a pharmacist咨询药剂师
• Use Careby for healthcare navigation and follow-up support使用康伴的就医导航与后续跟进服务

AI can help with the first layer of navigation. A healthcare professional should make the clinical assessment. AI 可以帮你做第一层的方向判断，临床评估应该交给专业医疗人员。

3. During a specialist referral: keep a better health record3. 专科转介期间：管理漫长的等待期

A referral from a family doctor to a specialist can mean a wait of weeks or months. Rather than trying to remember everything when the appointment finally arrives, you can use AI to keep a structured record of: 在加拿大，从家庭医生转介到专科医生往往需要数周甚至数月。与其等到预约那天再努力回忆，不如用 AI 持续记录：

• Symptom changes症状变化
• Frequency and severity发作频率与严重程度
• New medications新增药物
• Side effects副作用
• Medical visits and important dates就诊记录及重要日期
• Questions for the specialist想问专科医生的问题

By the time your appointment comes around, you'll have a much clearer timeline to discuss. Careby can also help during the referral process — with navigation, organization and follow-up — so the next steps are easier to track. 等到预约那天，你手上已经有一份跨越数月的清晰健康记录，对专科医生的判断很有帮助。在这段等待期里，康伴也可以提供导航、整理与跟进支持，让下一步不至于失去方向。

Common questions常见问题

Why this approach is the safe one为什么这样用最稳妥

AI's biggest value isn't replacing medical judgment. It's reducing information gaps and improving preparation. It can help you understand what to ask, organize what happened and identify which resources may be relevant — while the licensed healthcare professional remains responsible for assessment, diagnosis and treatment. AI 最大的价值，不是替代医疗判断，而是减少信息差、提升准备度。它能帮你弄清该问什么、整理清楚经过、找出可能适用的医疗资源；而评估、诊断与治疗的责任，始终在持牌医疗专业人员身上。

Which is why the safest approach stays the same: use AI to prepare, and healthcare professionals to decide. 所以最稳妥的做法始终没变：用 AI 做准备，让专业医生做决定。