Doctors and clinic staff are increasingly dealing with lengthy patient complaint letters created with the help of artificial intelligence, according to the Medical Protection Society (MPS). While AI can help people organise their thoughts and communicate concerns more clearly, MPS says the technology is also contributing to a rise in complaints that are unusually long, highly legalistic and difficult to interpret. Some letters reportedly run to seven pages or more, creating a significant administrative burden for healthcare providers already managing busy clinical workloads.
The concern is not that patients should avoid raising legitimate issues. Patients have every right to ask questions, seek explanations and make complaints when they feel care has fallen short. The issue is whether AI-generated wording is making complaints more complicated than necessary, reducing clarity for everyone involved.
Longer Complaints, More Work for Clinics
Speaking at the MPS Malaysia Medicolegal and Ethics Conference 2026, Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, Medical Director at MPS, said members were receiving complaint letters that were extremely detailed and written in a legal-style tone.
Some of these letters include questionable legal arguments, generic AI phrasing or even leftover instructions from the AI tool itself. That can make it harder for doctors and clinic teams to quickly identify the patient's actual concern, what happened, and what outcome the patient is seeking.
A complaint that could have been expressed in a few clear paragraphs may instead become several pages of repeated points, legal language and unrelated information. Staff still need to read it carefully and respond appropriately, even when much of the content does not directly help resolve the matter.
For a healthcare setting, that time matters. Every hour spent untangling an unclear complaint is time that could otherwise be used for patient consultations, follow-up care, clinical documentation or other essential work.
AI Can Empower Patients, But It Can Also Escalate Tensions
AI tools can be useful for patients who struggle to express themselves, especially when they are upset, unfamiliar with medical terminology or worried about how to raise a concern. A well-used tool may help someone structure a timeline, summarise key events or write a more understandable request for clarification.
However, MPS warns that AI may also lower the barrier to making complaints impulsively.
Someone who feels frustrated after an appointment can quickly ask an AI tool to draft a formal complaint, potentially producing a forceful and complicated letter within minutes. That may encourage complaints to be submitted in the heat of the moment, before the patient has had the opportunity to seek clarification directly from the clinic or discuss the matter calmly with the healthcare team.
The result can be a more adversarial process from the start, even when the underlying issue may have been resolved through a simple explanation, follow-up call or appointment.
Clear Communication Should Remain the Priority
MPS says its members take all patient complaints seriously and want to consider them properly. The challenge is ensuring that the complaint process remains focused on the facts and on finding a fair resolution.
A useful complaint does not need to sound like a legal submission. It should clearly explain what happened, when it happened, who was involved, why the patient is concerned, and what they hope the clinic or doctor can do next.
Some healthcare providers have reportedly introduced word limits or asked patients to resubmit particularly unclear or overly long complaints in a more concise format. This does not mean dismissing a patient's concern. Instead, it can help both sides focus on the information needed to investigate and respond meaningfully.
AI May Be More Helpful as a Summarising Tool
Interestingly, the same technology that can produce overly detailed complaints may also help make them easier to manage.
AI can be used to summarise long correspondence into key points, identify dates and events, or turn a scattered narrative into a clearer list of concerns. Used responsibly, it could support better communication rather than adding further complexity.
For patients, this may mean asking an AI tool to help shorten a complaint rather than expand it. For healthcare organisations, it could mean using AI-assisted workflows carefully to organise incoming correspondence while ensuring that a human remains responsible for reviewing the final content and response.
A Global Issue, Not Just a Malaysian One
MPS notes that this trend is not limited to Malaysia. Its members in other countries are also encountering AI-generated complaint letters that are long, unclear or unnecessarily confrontational.
As AI becomes more common in everyday communication, healthcare providers will likely need clearer processes for handling complaints that may have been drafted or expanded by automated tools.
The aim should not be to discourage patients from speaking up. Rather, it should be to preserve a complaint process that is fair, respectful and practical for patients, doctors and clinic staff alike.
Final Thoughts
AI can help patients communicate, but more words do not always create a better complaint.
A concise, factual and clearly structured concern is more likely to receive a faster and more useful response than a lengthy letter filled with legal-style language or AI-generated filler. For doctors and clinics, the challenge will be balancing careful complaint handling with the need to protect time for patient care.
The most constructive use of AI in healthcare communication may not be to make complaints longer. It may be to make them clearer.
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