Study Guide: Alex for Healthcare Professionals
Your reference for using Alex in clinical, administrative, and educational healthcare work. Ready-to-run prompts for documentation, patient communication, research, and team coordination.
What This Guide Is Not
This is not a habit formation guide (see Self-Study Guide for that). This is a healthcare professional’s toolkit — the specific ways Alex can support your work while you maintain clinical responsibility and judgment.
Core Principle for Healthcare Professionals
Clinical judgment cannot be delegated to AI. Alex can help with documentation, communication, education, and research support — but every clinical decision, patient communication, and treatment plan must reflect your professional expertise and direct assessment.
Critical: Never use AI-generated content for clinical recommendations, diagnoses, or treatment without independent professional evaluation. Alex can help write; you must judge what is clinically appropriate.
The Seven Use Cases
1. Clinical Documentation
When to use: Drafting notes, discharge summaries, referral letters, documentation support.
Prompt pattern:
Help me structure clinical documentation:
Document type: [SOAP note / discharge summary / referral / prior auth]
Clinical context: [the situation — de-identified]
Key information to include: [the clinical facts]
Audience: [who reads this — provider / payer / patient]
Create a structure that:
1. Presents information in the expected format
2. Is clear and complete
3. Includes medically relevant context
4. Uses appropriate clinical language
5. Documents decision-making where required
Follow-up prompts:
Make this more concise without losing clinical accuracy.
The prior authorization needs stronger medical necessity language.
Write the discharge instructions for a patient with [condition — de-identified].
Mandatory: Review all generated documentation for clinical accuracy before finalizing.
2. Patient and Family Communication
When to use: Patient education materials, after-visit summaries, health literacy.
Prompt pattern:
Help me create patient communication:
Audience: [patient / family member / caregiver]
Health literacy level: [approximate reading level]
Topic: [condition, procedure, medication, next steps]
Key messages: [what they must understand]
Tone: [reassuring / direct / practical]
Create communication that:
1. Uses plain language (avoid jargon)
2. Explains the most important thing first
3. Gives clear action steps
4. Anticipates patient concerns
5. Tells them when to seek additional help
Follow-up prompts:
Simplify this for a patient reading at a 6th-grade level.
Add the warning signs they should watch for.
Translate the concept of [clinical term] into plain language.
3. Medical Literature and Research Support
When to use: Understanding new studies, synthesizing evidence, staying current.
Prompt pattern:
Help me understand this research:
Paper/study: [paste abstract or key findings]
My context: [clinical question I'm trying to answer]
What I need: [summary / critical appraisal / clinical implications]
Help me:
1. Summarize the key findings in plain terms
2. Assess study quality and limitations
3. Identify what this means for clinical practice
4. Compare to what's already known
5. Flag what questions remain unanswered
Follow-up prompts:
How strong is the evidence for [treatment]?
What's the NNT/NNH implication of this data?
How do I explain this study to a patient?
Reminder: Always access primary literature through appropriate databases. Verify any clinical claims.
4. Continuing Education and Teaching
When to use: Case presentations, grand rounds, teaching materials, board prep.
Prompt pattern:
Help me develop educational content:
Audience: [medical students / residents / nurses / patients]
Topic: [what you're teaching]
Format: [lecture / case presentation / simulation]
Learning objectives: [what they should know or do after]
Time available: [length of session]
Create materials that:
1. Are organized around clear learning objectives
2. Use cases to make concepts concrete
3. Highlight clinical pearls
4. Build from what they know
5. Include self-assessment questions
Follow-up prompts:
Create discussion questions for a case presentation on [topic].
Build a teaching framework for explaining [complex concept].
Write board-style questions for [clinical topic].
5. Quality Improvement and Protocols
When to use: Developing protocols, analyzing quality data, writing improvement plans.
Prompt pattern:
Help me with quality improvement:
Problem: [what outcome you're trying to improve]
Current process: [how it works now]
Data: [what your metrics show]
Resources: [team, time, tools]
Help me:
1. Identify root causes using a structured framework
2. Design an intervention with measurable outcomes
3. Create a protocol or checklist
4. Define how we'll know it's working
5. Plan the implementation and sustainability
Follow-up prompts:
Write the protocol for [clinical process].
Create a checklist for [procedure or workflow].
We see variation in practice. How do I design a standardization effort?
6. Team and Interdisciplinary Communication
When to use: Handoffs, referral coordination, interdisciplinary rounds, conflict resolution.
Prompt pattern:
Help me communicate with the care team:
Situation: [what's happening with the patient/situation]
Audience: [specialist / nurse / social work / administration]
SBAR structure: [Situation / Background / Assessment / Recommendation]
Goal: [what you need from them]
Create communication that:
1. Is structured and efficient
2. Leads with the most urgent information
3. Gives relevant background without burying the lede
4. Makes the ask clear
5. Documents handoff appropriately
Follow-up prompts:
Write the handoff summary for end of shift.
Prepare the referral letter for [specialty — de-identified].
Help me escalate this concern to administration.
7. Wellness and Professional Development
When to use: Burnout, career navigation, professional boundaries, leadership.
Prompt pattern:
Help me think through this professional situation:
Situation: [what's happening — de-identified]
What I'm struggling with: [the core tension]
What I've tried: [what hasn't worked]
What I want: [desired outcome]
Help me:
1. Name what's actually difficult about this
2. Separate the clinical from the emotional
3. Identify options I haven't considered
4. Think through the second-order consequences
5. Find the next constructive action
Follow-up prompts:
I'm experiencing compassion fatigue. What are evidence-based approaches?
I need to set a boundary with [colleague/patient situation]. How do I frame it?
Help me think through this career decision.
Practice Progression
Week 1: Draft one documentation type using the prompts. Compare to your usual process.
Week 2: Create patient education material for a common condition you treat.
Week 3: Summarize and critically appraise a recent study.
Week 4: Prepare a teaching case using the educational framework.
What Great Looks Like
After consistent use, you should notice:
- Faster documentation with consistent quality
- Clearer patient communications at appropriate reading levels
- More structured approach to literature review
- Better-prepared teaching and presentations
The goal isn’t for Alex to practice medicine — it’s for Alex to handle administrative and educational work so you can focus on patients.
Privacy and Compliance
- Never include patient identifiers in prompts
- De-identify all clinical scenarios
- Follow your institution’s AI use policies
- Be aware of HIPAA implications for any AI tool use
- All clinical decisions remain your professional responsibility
Your patients trust you. Protect that trust.