As a specialist, I have to say: This makes me very glad I'm not a primary care provider. The doctors of the future will be evaluated on bedside manner and interpersonal skills - not on diagnostic ability or knowledge, because they'll all have access to Watson. Which is scary because smooth talking idiots can get into medical school, but get rapidly weeded out in the real world. It scares me that stupidity can hide behind this computing beast. And there will be situations where Watson cannot help (emergencies) where a doctor and his smarts are all he has to go by.
If Watson makes a wrong diagnoses and a patient dies, who will be responsible? The doctor? IBM? All it would take is one or two incorrect diagnoses leading to large malpractice suits to really put the medical profession on edge about this. Granted, many incompetent practitioners exist out there making all kinds of dangerous decisions, but this would really stick out in the public eye.
If Watson makes a wrong diagnoses and a patient dies, who will be responsible? The doctor? IBM? All it would take is one or two incorrect diagnoses leading to large malpractice suits to really put the medical profession on edge about this. Granted, many incompetent practitioners exist out there making all kinds of dangerous decisions, but this would really stick out in the public eye.