AI is already part of athletic training—but how can clinicians use it responsibly? On To the Bone, host Shelby Daly talks with Matt Mills, associate professor at Springfield College and member of the NATA Professional Responsibility and Athletic Training Committee, about AI ethics, patient privacy, HIPAA considerations, and professional liability.
They explore how athletic trainers are using AI for patient education, clinical documentation, rehabilitation planning, research, and administrative work. Matt explains why free public AI tools carry privacy risks, what to ask about institutional agreements and AI policies, and why clinicians remain responsible for reviewing and signing AI-assisted notes.The conversation also covers patient consent for AI transcription, the risk of over-relying on AI in clinical decision-making, and how athletic training educators can help students build essential hands-on and critical-thinking skills. Matt shares lower-risk ways to start using AI, including reviewing policies and procedures, and discusses how time saved on documentation could support more high-impact patient care.
Whether you’re an athletic trainer, healthcare educator, or student, this episode offers practical guidance for using AI thoughtfully—without losing sight of patient trust, privacy, and professional accountability.