Artificial intelligence(AI) sounds like the stuff of science fiction and conjures to mind images of medical scanners and teleportation pods. While the real world of healthcare and artificial intelligence is more practical than beepers and holographic alien technology, with the recent advances in technology, AI’s integration into the world of healthcare is sooner than you would think. In fact, in some cases, it has already begun.
The term “artificial intelligence” which includes various forms of learning technology, describes a program that can take systematic inputs of data to make a prediction, such as a medical diagnosis. In some cases, doctors can use these programs to track things like patient symptoms and fitness routines, as well as to track potential health concerns and medical records. With a marked deficit in the number of medical professionals in the world, artificial intelligence and other forms of medical technology can help provide a higher quality of care to a wider range of patients. While the final diagnosis is still made by a doctor, learning technology, and AI can help streamline patient care and provide more comprehensive healthcare to millions of people around the world.
However, what are some of the types of technology used to provide this AI-based care, and what are some of the concerns that come with this new technology?
Artificial intelligence in healthcare
The major forms of artificial intelligence being implemented in the field today include diagnosis technology in the form of applications and automated notices, as well as the internet of things(IoT). Both forms of technology aimed at helping to close the gap between doctor’s visits and patient care and move towards increasing the amount of freedom available to individuals who are undergoing medical treatment.
Recently, artificial intelligence-based diagnosis software has been used in man medical offices to allow doctors to track a wide range of hereditary information and recurring symptoms to help them identify patterns. These kinds of comprehensive analysis programs allow doctors to track multiple medical concerns at the same time and help prevent misdiagnosis. While these kinds of services are not widely implemented in the medical world, they are growing in reliability and use, allowing doctors to make more accurate healthcare and lifestyle decisions with their patients. One of the most significant concerns for artificial intelligence systems is that they pull diagnostic information from a wide range of sources, which can leave them vulnerable to hackers.
Another aspect of learning technology in the healthcare world is the internet of things. The IoT includes personal medical tracking devices, such as step trackers and implanted medical devices that allow doctors to monitor their patients remotely in real-time. While this does raise privacy concerns, the IoT is useful for patients that maybe, otherwise confined to a hospital for medical observation or long-term treatment. By using both artificial intelligence systems that can learn to identify dangerous symptoms and the IoT to monitor a patient’s’ lifestyle and vitals, healthcare providers can reduce the frequency of emergency situations and misdiagnosis. This, in turn, will help improve the quality of healthcare that caregivers can provide to their patients overall.