PO-71 | Is Doctor Google retiring? How Generative Artificial Intelligence is transforming the perception and management of headaches

Matteo Bellamio,¹ Sofia Zywicki,¹ Rocco Quatrale,² Giorgio Zanchin,³ Ferdinando Maggioni,³ Alberto Terrin¹ | ¹Centro Cefalee dell’Angelo, Neurology, Ospedale dell'Angelo, AULSS3 Serenissima, Mestre (VE), Italy; ²Neurology, Ospedale dell'Angelo, AULSS3 Serenissima, Mestre (VE), Italy; ³Neurology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

Background: Over the past two decades, the way patients seek medical information has been heavily influenced by search engines, particularly Google™, marking the beginning of the “first digital era” of participatory medicine. During this phase, patients actively searched for information, consulted multiple sources, and formed subjective interpretations of their symptoms. With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), we are now witnessing a second phase: patients interact directly with conversational AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT™, Gemini™), receiving immediate, personalized, and structured responses that often resemble a diagnostic evaluation. This study aims to examine how the use of AI tools is altering patients’ behavior and perception of their symptoms compared to “traditional search engines”, with a focus on the self-diagnostic process, trust in online information, and the timing of medical consultation.

Methods: We developed a pilot questionnaire targeting patients attending our Headache Center. Key variables included: type of digital tool used to investigate symptoms (search engine, AI system, forum, etc.); whether the patient formulated a self-diagnosis and its degree of specificity; level of trust in the information received (rated on a 1–5 scale); decision to consult a physician and its timing; perceived usefulness and emotional impact of the digital interaction. We analyzed responses from the first series of patients (10) in order to identify preliminary trends.

Results: Patients who used AI tools were more likely to receive specific diagnostic suggestions (70% vs. 30%) and reported higher levels of trust in the information provided (mean score 4.2 vs. 2.8 on a 5-point scale). However, 34% of AI users reported delaying medical consultation, compared to 18% of those who used search engines. The emotional impact also differed: AI users were more frequently reassured, whereas those using traditional search methods reported greater confusion or anxiety.

Conclusion: The integration of AI into digital health-seeking behavior represents a paradigm shift. Rather than replacing physicians, AI is reshaping how patients perceive, interpret, and respond to their headache symptoms. As headache specialists, we must be prepared to engage with an increasingly AI-informed patient population - many of whom may arrive with structured, yet unverified, self-diagnoses.