The healthcare industry has always been ready to embrace changes as healthcare professionals try to ensure the best outcomes for their patients. There are numerous opportunities to leverage technology to ensure timely intervention to prevent serious complications and reduce mortality in healthcare settings. As patients demand better services and healthcare providers collect more data, there is a need to use technology that takes advantage of this data to ensure improvements. Artificial intelligence stands out as one of these technologies. In this article, we will look at some ways artificial intelligence is being used in, impacting, and benefiting healthcare.
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Enhancing Healthcare Coverage In Underserved Areas
The shortage of healthcare professionals is a serious issue for many developed countries around the world. These shortages deprive them of not only basic healthcare but also life-saving interventions that would be possible through timely diagnosis.
Healthcare professionals are exploring the use of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of certain illnesses and conditions. By delegating some of these tasks to artificial intelligence, we can reduce the burden shouldered by doctors and other healthcare professionals who work in underserved areas.
AI imaging tools are already being used to screen for illnesses such as tuberculosis. As they keep improving, their ability to read and interpret x-rays has become comparable to that of a human. These and other capabilities could be made available through apps that connect to a cloud service for the analysis.
Doing so will reduce the need for expensive equipment and the need for lots of healthcare professionals while also bringing these services closer to those who would otherwise not have had access to them.
We see the huge potential these tools have and the benefits they come with, but we have to be careful when developing them. The computer scientists and engineers who build them must account for the physical and physiological differences of different races and ethnic groups around the world.
The algorithms they create have to account for the different presentations of diseases and illnesses in these groups.
Second, these tools should not be used in a vacuum. Although they are poised to be great diagnostic tools, it is important to always consider a healthcare professional’s input before settling on a final diagnosis.
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Predictive Analysis
Predictive analysis is a branch of analytics that predicts future outcomes using data and various tools and techniques, in this case, artificial intelligence and machine learning. We have seen predictive analysis used in areas such as weather and marketing, and those same applications are now coming to healthcare.
Healthcare professionals process a lot of patient data to better understand their health and to see if they are at risk of any illnesses and conditions. The sources of this data can include medical images, electronic healthcare records, and other administrative data.
There are several ways artificial intelligence and predictive analysis can help the healthcare industry. One of these is preventative medicine through the prediction of the risk of chronic illnesses.
Using genetic data, patient histories, and recent healthcare visits, healthcare professionals can assess these risks and start putting preventative measures to prevent the manifestation of these conditions.
If doctors are not able to arrest the issue in time, they can use artificial intelligence and other predictive analysis tools to chart a course of treatment.
There are several predictive analytics techniques used in healthcare apart from artificial intelligence. These include data mining, modeling, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms. Computer scientists who want to learn how to apply these techniques in healthcare and other fields can complete an online masters in computer science from a reputable university.
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Ensuring Better Radiology Tools
We have been using radiology for decades to get a better look inside the human body and to understand it better. CT scanners, MRI machines, and x-ray machines have been the tools used for this. These tools are used in combination with processes that rely on tissue samples obtained with the direction of these radiology tools.
Biopsies, which are the processes used to collect these samples, can lead to several complications such as excessive internal bleeding and infection. Because of this, healthcare professionals have been looking for better ways to diagnose issues without using invasive opinions like biopsies.
Scientists have been working on artificial intelligence tools that will be a part of the new era of radiology tools. These tools will be detailed and accurate enough such that they help ensure proper and accurate diagnosis without turning to biopsies.
The aim will be to use these tools in conjunction with the expertise and experience of pathologists, radiologists, and surgeons to ensure the best outcomes for patients. The coming together of all four used to seem like an insurmountable challenge, but AI has come so far that it seems within reach.
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Ensuring More Precise Pathological Analysis
Pathology is one of the most important sources of diagnostic information in healthcare settings. Pathologists provide information that is used to make more than 75% of diagnostic decisions in hospitals.
If pathology gives doctors the best information, the doctors can come up with a diagnosis quicker which improves outcomes. To ensure this, pathologists must produce incredibly precise and accurate information.
Pathologists can use analytics to get down to the pixel level to find out things that we might not be able to see with our eyes. Nuances such as how fast cancer will spread and where it might go next all affect how a patient is treated.
Artificial intelligence can also be used as the first “filter” of information for pathologists. Pathologists receive a lot of data and slides they have to go through. If artificial intelligence can help rule out anything that is not of concern, it can reduce the burden on pathologists.
The most important thing here is to ensure the algorithms are sensitive enough to detect even the smallest of anomalies. This is to avoid false negatives that can lead to patients being harmed down the line.
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Unifying Mind And Machine
We have been using computers to communicate for decades now, but the way we primarily do so is by using monitors, keyboards, and mouse.
But what if we could create a direct connection between the mind and the computer to allow for these communications without the need for these peripherals? This is the question companies like Neuralink are trying to answer.
Brain-computer interfaces allow for a direct connection between a brain and a computer. Scientists use artificial intelligence to decode the neural activity of the person with the interface and translate that to the intended action. These actions could range from hand movements to speech.
This technology is especially useful for patients who have suffered trauma and injuries to the nervous system. They could also be patients who are suffering from issues such as Alzheimer’s and who have a hard time communicating with others.
By using brain-computer interfaces and artificial intelligence, we can ensure that we not only understand them but that they also understand us. This will ensure continuing interactions even for patients who have lost these abilities.
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Creating Intelligent Machines And Devices
Looking at healthcare trends for the last ten years, we see that healthcare professionals are relying more on machines and devices to ensure better outcomes. The next evolution of this is the use of smart devices.
Smart devices have already taken over the consumer space, using artificial intelligence to control and assist us with everyday tasks. Smart devices have also found a home in healthcare settings. Using artificial intelligence they have become a crucial tool for monitoring patients’ states.
For example, they can let healthcare professionals know if a patient who is in a coma is deteriorating, is likely to suffer sepsis, or will have complications any time soon.
Having all this information will help these professionals reverse the progression of the disease and patient deterioration, both of which can improve outcomes, reduce the cost of healthcare, and reduce the amount of time people spend admitted to the hospital.
Additionally, smart devices can reduce the cognitive load on healthcare professionals. Where they are not in use, these professionals have to remember everything to do with their patients.
They have to know how they are doing and how their health is trending. This can be difficult and sometimes impossible if a healthcare professional is taking care of more than one patient.
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Monitoring Through Wearables
If you own a smartwatch and have its health features enabled, you are already taking advantage of artificial intelligence. Apart from smartwatches, people now have access to numerous devices that collect vast amounts of data about their health. These include fitness trackers, smartphones, and other wearables.
The software they use can tell you how long you slept, the quality of your sleep, how healthy your heart is, whether you should be concerned about your blood sugar levels, and much more.
The data they collect is invaluable for healthcare professionals for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of various illnesses and conditions.
Conclusion
To improve care and patient outcomes, the healthcare industry has to embrace new technology and innovations. Fortunately, technologies such as artificial intelligence are already being used in numerous areas to help make healthcare better.