Physiopedia AI Assistant Prompt Writing Guide

Original Editor - Jason Giesbrecht

Top Contributors - Tarina van der Stockt, Angeliki Chorti, Kim Jackson, Jess Bell and Alexandra Stead

Physiopedia AI Assistant

The Physiopedia AI Assistant as stand alone software and is also available las part of Physiopedia Plus.

• It is rehabilitation focussed
• The answers come from up-to-date, evidence-based, high-quality Physiopedia content
• All answers to your questions are accompanied by the sources on which they are based

It is important to note that clinicians should always verify information generated by any AI tool. Always exercise your own clinical reasoning and consult relevant literature, guidelines, legal and ethical frameworks, and colleagues when making decisions about patient care. Always use your professional judgement and consider the AI Assistant's advice as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, your own expertise and patient-specific decision-making.

Introduction to Prompt Writing

Writing clear and effective prompts is crucial for interacting with the Physiopedia AI Assistant. Well-crafted prompts ensure you receive accurate, relevant, safe and useful information quickly, enhancing your clinical decision-making and patient care.

It might be helpful to compare the AI Assistant with a new intern or assistant that starts working with you. When you give instructions you need to be clear, specific and descriptive. The assistant is good at finding things but might need further guidance or instructions to give you exactly what you wanted, the same with the AI Assistant. Initially you will start with simple questions and then continue with more complicated instructions. As with any new assistant you as the clinician need to review the content and use clinical decision making skills to decide on action based on the answers. The rest of this page will cover how to prompt the AI assistant to help you get the best out the experience.

What is an AI Prompt?

An AI prompt is a user-provided input or query that guides the AI system in generating a relevant and contextual response. In fact, you can imagine that if AI were the kitchen, the prompt is the precise recipe and set of ingredients; without specific and detailed steps, the "meal" (output) would be generic or unsuitable for the patient.

To explain this more, an AI prompt is like a question or instruction you give to an artificial intelligence system. It's the starting point for a conversation or task with the AI.

Think of it as talking to a really smart computer. You need to tell this computer what you want it to do or what you want to know. That's what a prompt is - it's your way of communicating with the AI.

The AI uses your prompt to understand what you're asking for. Then, it searches through the Physiopedia database to generate a response that fits your request. Good prompts are usually clear and specific. The more details you give, the better the AI can understand what you want. But even simple prompts can work - the AI is designed to interpret and expand on your requests.

Remember, the AI doesn't actually "think" like a human. It uses complex algorithms to generate responses based on patterns in the data it was trained on. Your prompt helps guide this process to get the kind of answer or output you are looking for. Responses are generated, one word at a time, using the prompt as a starting point.

The Difference Between Prompts and Search

When you use a search engine like Google, you are looking for existing information on the internet and you will get the links to websites. But when you use an AI prompt, you're asking for something new to be generated from the Physiopedia content. Let's break this down:

1. Creating vs. Finding Search:
   1. Search: When you type something into Google, it's like asking a librarian to find a book. The information already exists, and the search engine is just finding it for you. Example: If you search "Which muscles are responsible for knee flexion", Google finds web pages with this information.
   2. AI Prompt: When you give an AI a prompt, it's more like asking a writer to compose a new story. The AI creates a response based on what it has learned, but the exact answer didn't exist before. Example: If you write a prompt that says "Create a home exercise programme for a patient 4-6 weeks post knee arthroplasty", the AI generates a new, unique exercise programme based on the Physiopedia database.
2. Specific links vs No Single "Right" Answer
   1. Search: When you use Boolean operators (like AND, OR, NOT) in a Google search, you're trying to narrow down to the most accurate information. Example: "Knee AND arthroplasty AND exercises" would give you very specific results about Knee arthroplasty exercises.
   2. Prompt: With AI, there's no one "correct" answer stored somewhere. Each response is newly generated and might be different each time, even for the same prompt. Example: Asking "Describe exercises after a knee arthroplasty" multiple times might give you different descriptions each time.
3. Potential for Mistakes
   1. Search: While search results can include incorrect information, you can usually verify the facts by checking multiple reliable sources.
   2. Prompt: AI can sometimes "hallucinate" or make up information that sounds plausible but isn't true. This is why it's important to fact-check important information from AI.

Remember, while both search and AI prompts are powerful tools, they serve different purposes. Search helps you find existing information, while prompts allow you to generate new content or get AI assistance with various tasks.

AI Prompt Writing Principles

• Good quality prompts create good quality responses: Clear, specific and detailed prompts lead to accurate and helpful answers. Unclear, short, or ambiguous prompts result in suboptimal responses.
• Break the prompt into steps: Dividing the prompt into smaller, explicit tasks helps in crafting a comprehensive and effective query.
• Use plain and clear language: Avoid ambiguous terms to ensure the AI Assistant understands your question correctly.
• Use polite and professional language: AI systems do not have emotions or preferences; yet, polite prompts often come with clear and well structured questions which results in better quality responses.   Further, polite prompts set a positive context for the interaction.
• Ask the AI follow-up or clarifying questions.  You could also ask it to expand on a given answer or give further details about one aspect of the answer.  
• Consider using any of a range of prompting heuristics. Prompting heuristics are strategies or "rules of thumb" that can help you get better results when interacting with AI. These techniques can make your prompts more effective, leading to more accurate, relevant, or creative responses. We will explore one popular method called The Role-Goal-Instruction (RGI) Method of Prompt Writing below.

The Role-Goal-Instruction (RGI) Method of Prompt Writing

This approach helps to focus the AI's response on specific professional contexts, targeted outcomes, and detailed tasks relevant to these fields.

This is a simple but powerful way to structure your prompts. Here's how it works:

• Role: Tell the AI who or what you want it to be.
• Goal: Explain what you want to achieve.
• Instruction: Give specific directions on what to do.

1.Physiotherapy Example:

• Role: You are an experienced physiotherapist specialising in sports injuries.
• Goal: To create a rehabilitation programme for a high school athlete recovering from an ACL tear.
• Instruction: Design a 12-week rehabilitation plan, including exercises, progression milestones, and precautions. Include both clinic-based and home exercises suitable for a 16-year-old soccer player.

2.Occupational Therapy Example:

• Role: You are an occupational therapist working in geriatric care.
• Goal: To develop a programme to improve the daily living skills of an elderly patient with early-stage Parkinson's disease.
• Instruction: Create a list of 5 activities and adaptive techniques to help the patient maintain independence in dressing, meal preparation, and personal hygiene. Include recommendations for home modifications to enhance safety.

3. Healthcare Education Example:

• Role: You are a health educator specialising in diabetes management.
• Goal: To create an educational programme for newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients.
• Instruction: Outline a 4-session education plan covering diet, exercise, medication management, and blood glucose monitoring. Include interactive elements and simple handouts suitable for patients with varying levels of health literacy.

Best Practices for Writing Clinical Prompts with Examples

Be specific:

• State the Condition Clearly: Identify the medical condition or issue you are inquiring about.
  • Example: “Wrist extensor tendinopathy”

Be clear and specify the information needed:

• Define the type of information or advice you are seeking. For instance you can include “Treatment recommendations,” “specific exercises,” “manual therapy techniques”
  • Example:  "Give me physiotherapy treatment recommendations for wrist tendinopathy"

Include relevant and appropriate background information

• Include relevant information without giving patient identifiers
  • Ensure that any information you provide about patients is anonymised and does not include any personally identifiable information such as names, date of birth, addresses, or specific dates. While the AI Assistant is designed to provide helpful information, it is not a secure platform for sharing sensitive patient data. Always adhere to your professional and legal obligations regarding patient privacy and confidentiality when using this tool.
• Medical History and Background: Provide relevant information about the patient’s history, age, and current status.
  • Example: “The patient is a 45-year-old office worker experiencing symptoms for three months.”
• Previous Treatments: Mention any treatments already tried and their effectiveness.
  • “Example: “They have tried resting and using a wrist brace with limited success"

• Setting and relevant context: This may set the scene for a more specific answer.
  • Example: "Give me physiotherapy treatment recommendations for stroke in an outpatient setting"

• Timeframe: Give a specific timeline for a more useful answer.
  • Example:
    • Without a time reference: “Describe the healing process after hip arthroplasty.”
    • With a time reference: “What can a patient typically expect during the first six weeks of healing after hip arthroplasty?”

Structure Your Question Logically

• Introduction: Briefly describe the patient’s condition or the informational need, providing relevant background.
• Detailed Inquiry: List specific questions or information you are seeking.
• Conclusion: Ask for any additional advice or resources.

Try Different Prompt Styles

Prompt style may affect the response you get. Try different formats on a specific topic.

• Example:
  • Direct question: “What are the symptoms of pneumonia?”
  • Ask for a list: “List all the potential symptoms of pneumonia.”
  • Ask for a summary: “Summarise the key symptoms and progression of pneumonia.”
  • Process: “Provide a step-by-step process of diagnosing pneumonia.”

Prompt Iteration / Refinement

Prompt iteration is the process of refining and adjusting an initial prompt multiple times to improve the clarity, relevance, and quality of the responses generated by an AI system. This involves modifying the wording, structure, or details of the prompt based on the output received, with the goal of achieving more accurate and satisfactory results. Below is an example of how to refine a prompt.

Prompt	AI Response
Initial Prompt: "Write about diabetes management."	[The AI provides a general, broad overview of diabetes management, touching on diet, exercise, and medication, but lacks specificity and patient-friendly language.
Iteration 1: "Create a patient education handout on Type 2 diabetes management for newly diagnosed adults."	[The AI generates a more focused piece on Type 2 diabetes, but it's still quite technical and overwhelming for new patients.]
Iteration 2: "Develop a simple, easy-to-understand guide for newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients. Focus on the top 5 things they need to know in the first month after diagnosis. Use bullet points and simple language."	[The AI produces a more concise and accessible guide, but it's missing some key practical advice.]
Iteration 3: "Create a friendly, encouraging one-page guide for adults newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Include: A brief, simple explanation of what Type 2 diabetes is The top 5 actionable steps they can take immediately A sample daily routine Common myths and facts about diabetes When to contact their healthcare provider Use bullet points, avoid medical jargon, and include a motivational message at the end."	[The AI generates a much more suitable patient education material, hitting all the requested points in an accessible manner.]

Simple and Detailed Examples

You can practice using simple and detailed prompts to see the difference in the reply. This will help you to learn what types of prompts work for you. Adapt these ideas for your scenarios. You can even write more detailed prompts than the examples below.

Simple Prompt	Detailed Prompt
How do I treat a rotator cuff tear?	Act as an experienced sports physiotherapist specialising in shoulder injuries, with extensive experience treating both amateur and professional athletes. Provide a comprehensive treatment plan for a 45-year-old recreational tennis player with a partial-thickness supraspinatus tear, including initial pain management, specific exercises for each rehabilitation phase, and criteria for return to sport. Include any relevant precautions and contraindications.
What are some exercises for low back pain?	Assume the role of a musculoskeletal physiotherapist with expertise in chronic pain management and ergonomic interventions for office workers. Design a progressive 8-week exercise programme for a 50-year-old office worker with chronic non-specific low back pain. Include core strengthening, flexibility exercises, and functional movements. Specify exercise frequency, intensity, and duration, and provide modifications for days when pain is more severe.
What's the rehab protocol after ACL surgery?	Function as a specialised sports rehabilitation physiotherapist with a focus on knee injuries and return-to-sport protocols, particularly for soccer players. Outline a detailed post-operative rehabilitation protocol for a 22-year-old female soccer player following ACL reconstruction using a hamstring autograft. Include specific goals, exercises, and progressions for each phase from immediate post-op to return-to-sport, addressing neuromuscular control, strength, and psychological readiness.
How do I help a stroke patient walk again?	Operate as a senior neurological physiotherapist with extensive experience in stroke rehabilitation, specialising in gait training and functional recovery. Develop a comprehensive treatment plan for a 60-year-old patient two weeks post-ischaemic stroke affecting the right middle cerebral artery. The patient presents with left hemiparesis, increased tone in the left upper limb, and impaired balance. Include specific interventions for gait training, upper limb function, balance, and activities of daily living. Address potential complications and how to monitor progress.
What's the best treatment for heel pain?	Embody a physiotherapist specialising in running-related injuries and biomechanical analysis, with additional expertise in orthotic prescription and gait retraining for long-distance runners. Create a comprehensive treatment plan for a 35-year-old marathon runner with chronic plantar fasciitis that has not responded to conventional treatments. Include manual therapy techniques, specific exercises, gait retraining, and recommendations for running shoes and orthotics. Provide a timeline for treatment progression and criteria for returning to running. Address potential underlying biomechanical factors and how to correct them.

Ready-to-use Prompts for PAI

These examples of prompts have been created and optimised for the Physiopedia AI Assistant.

Aim	AI prompt
Clinical reflection	"Please create patient information about a grade two muscle strain in the calf muscle with ideas on getting back into exercise and slowly progressing to calf raises and to running"
	"Are there any recommendations to use shockwave therapy on gluteal tendinopathy?"
	"What is the management advice for a child with suspected Sever's disease?"
	"Generate SMART goals for a knee replacement patient who wants to return to hiking"
	"Using your knowledge on reflection, please ask me questions to help me reflect on a course I recently completed. Ask one question at a time, and then provide a summary afterwards. The course focused on general wellness education, a new topic for me."
	"I need to write a conference abstract. Can you help me with pointers on where to start? → If I get accepted how do I create a poster"
Presentation	"Please create me a series of content for slides for a presentation to my staff on patellofemoral pain"
Clinical practice	"How do I explain chronic pain syndrome to my patient of 80 years old?"
	"Please generate a case scenario for me about subacute low back pain"
	"Please talk me through the physiotherapy rehabilitation protocol post shoulder hydrodilatation"
	"Please talk me through precautions and rehabilitation for a scapholunate ligament sprain"
Communication	"What is the best way to lead my team members in solving conflict with a colleague?"
	"I'm preparing for a job interview at a prestigious physiotherapy clinic. Can you help me to prepare?"
Patient education	"I realise I have a knowledge gap in teaching patients about general wellness education while staying in my scope. I want to learn more."
Assessment	"I think my patient has frozen shoulder, please help me to plan my assessment to test this hypothesis"
Clinical education	"Provide me with 5 questions I can ask my physiotherapy student to evaluate how they are doing in their clinical placement. Make them concise and easy to understand"
Education	"Develop a curriculum for second-year physiotherapy students on Assistive Technology provision."

Resources

• Physiopedia AI Assistant Information Page
• FAQ on the Physiopedia AI Assistant
• YouTube Playlist - Physiopedia AI Assistant Examples