Hallucination
Also called Confabulation
A hallucination is a statement an AI tool produces that sounds plausible but is not supported by its sources or by fact, such as an invented result.
Why it matters in a workup
Hallucinations are dangerous in clinical documents because they read as confidently as true statements. An invented dose or date can be copied into a record.
Checking each statement against its source is the reliable defense. Grounded tools make that check faster.
Put it into practice
- Check every number against its source
- Remove any statement you cannot trace
- Never file an unedited draft
Frequently asked questions
Can hallucinations be eliminated?
Not entirely with current tools. Grounding and source checks reduce them, and the clinician remains responsible for the final text.
General guidance on clinical documentation, not advice about any individual patient and not legal advice.
Glossary
Look up related terms
- GroundingGrounding means an AI tool answers from a given set of sources rather than from general training data, and can point to the passage it used.
- Source documentA source document is the original record a fact comes from, such as a lab report, an ECG report or a letter. Checking it is how you verify a statement.