HOW IT WORKS

── Transparency ──

How OsteoAI works

Last updated: September 27, 2026

What OsteoAI is and is not

OsteoAI is a clinical reasoning sparring partner. It helps you structure reasoning you have already started from your own history-taking and examination. It proposes an osteopathic working hypothesis, never a diagnosis, and names what would confirm or rule it out.

It is not a medical device, is not CE-marked, and makes no treatment decisions. Use it with teaching cases, fictional cases and the built-in case simulation, never with real patients. Case evaluation scores are self-study feedback, not grades.

What happens when you send a case

Code-based checks surround the language model

Your case

Teaching or practice case

Input checks

Warns about names and ID codes

Screens for red-flag keywords

Knowledge retrieval

Curated osteopathic sources

Safety material always added

Rule-based scoring

Which structure explains most

Caps how strongly it may be stated

Language model (OpenAI, Anthropic)

Writes the answer in a fixed structure

Output checks

Rules catch known error types

A second model checks for omissions

Flagged issues are logged for review

You compare with your own hypothesis

Retrieval and scoring give the same result for the same case every time. Only the language model's wording varies between runs.

What code decides and what the model writes

Safety-relevant decisions are made in code wherever possible. The language model writes the explanation around them.

Step	Who decides
Warning about names, ID codes, phone numbers	Code
Red-flag keywords in your case (e.g. cauda equina signs)	Code flags them; the model must address them
Which knowledge-base material is included	Code: search plus rules that always add safety material
Which candidate structure explains most of your findings	Code counts; the model expresses the result
How strongly a hypothesis may be stated	Code sets the ceiling; the model may not go above it
Wording, explanations, examination suggestions	Language model
Checking the answer for known error types	Code rules and a second model; issues are logged for review, the answer is not rewritten

Known limitations

OsteoAI makes mistakes. These are the ones seen in testing and being worked on:

Invented absences. It may write "no chest pain" or "no trauma" when your case never mentioned them. An absence you did not state is a question to ask, not a finding.
Unsupported red flags. It may raise a flag that is really a screening question ("especially if there was trauma").
Generic examination suggestions. Some may not fit your case, or may state contested claims from the osteopathic tradition as fact.
Bias. Its knowledge reflects English-language, European, structural-functional osteopathy.
Name detection is limited. It catches names, ID codes and contact details, but not descriptions that point to one person ("the mayor of a small town").
Wording varies. The same case can be phrased differently between runs, even when the reasoning behind it is the same.

How to use it well

Form your own working hypothesis first. Write it down, then compare it with OsteoAI's. The thinking stays with you.
Read the red-flag screen as a checklist. Every "still to ask" item is a question for your history-taking, not a conclusion.
Check every "no X" against the case. If the case did not say it, OsteoAI should not claim it.
Verify against sources. OsteoAI is not a citable source; check claims in the literature or with your teacher.
Report errors. Use the feedback button in the app, or email hello@osteoai.app. Each report improves the checks.

Your data

Your account and conversations are stored on Supabase servers in the UK (London). Case text is sent to OpenAI and Anthropic for processing and is not used for model training under their API terms.

Data	Kept for
Account and conversations	Until you delete them or your account
Usage logs	90 days, then deleted automatically
Safety and quality logs	90 days, then deleted automatically
Feedback ratings	12 months, then deleted automatically

You can delete your account and all linked data at any time in Settings → Privacy & Data. Full details are in the Privacy Policy. Questions: hello@osteoai.app.