[Editorial] Reclaiming care in the age of AI

00:00 - 11 Oct 2025

60 years ago, the patient–doctor interaction was, at its best, about human beings connecting, engaging, listening, observing, and caring. Notes and letters were written by hand or typed afterwards, placed in an envelope, and sent by post. Later, notes were dictated into handheld tape recorders and typed up by medical secretaries, then by patchy automated dictation tools. Emails were introduced and patient data were entered into a multitude of poorly integrated systems. These developments occurred alongside important movements for patient safety, an increasingly litigious environment, the industrialisation and commercialisation of most health-care interactions, and the proliferation of medical evidence.