“Artificial intelligence (AI) has reached a critical turning point in its evolution,” according to a new report by an international panel of experts assessing the state of the field.
“Substantial advances in language processing, computer vision and pattern recognition mean that AI is touching people’s lives on a daily basis — from helping people to choose a movie to aiding in medical diagnoses.”
A few of the many ways AI is helping healthcare in 2021
In the healthcare field, you must keep abreast of AI’s most recent advances to improve care and outcomes, while reducing risk. For example, in 2021 artificial intelligence is aiding in such diverse medical areas as:
- Enhancing Cancer Diagnostic Tools with Deep Learning
- Improving Breast Cancer Imaging
- Deep Learning Model Could Predict Outcomes for Liver Cancer Patients
- Aiding in Detection of COVID-19
- Using SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) Data to Enhance Outcomes
- Tapping into Machine Learning Tools to Detect Genetic Syndromes in Children
- Enhancing Chronic Disease Management with Data Collection
- Using Artificial Intelligence to Examine Biopsied Tissue Samples
- Predicting Metastatic Risk in Skin Cancers
- Reducing Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
Out of the lab to help physicians every day
“In the past five years, AI has made the leap from something that mostly happens in research labs or other highly controlled settings to something that’s out in society affecting people’s lives,” said Michael Littman, a professor of computer science at Brown University. “That’s really exciting, because this technology is doing some amazing things that we could only dream about five or 10 years ago.”
“MIT researchers have developed an artificial intelligence EHR system that combines machine learning and human-computer interaction to help physicians speed up the process of looking up medical records and ease clinician burden.”
The new EHR system at MIT uses artificial intelligence to create one interactive interface that brings together the process of looking up medical records and documenting patient information with a high degree of accuracy. In fact, the AI system even modifies itself to become more accurate.
Ethics and artificial intelligence
Whether it’s a simple form of machine learning or a more complex application, the ethics related to artificial intelligence technologies are complex, as well. There are multiple reasons for this, including the speed and volume at which AI systems can function, oftentimes faster and with less errors than humans, according to the IEEE Standards Association.
The metrics for success and responsible innovation for AI and related developments are that:
- A product or service must make profit for the organization creating it.
- A product or service should not cause (physical) harm.
- A product or service should provide value for end users, customers and stakeholders.
- If possible, a product or service should not harm the environment.
SODH data can enhance AI outcomes
As providers search for ways to improve their methods of care, social determinants of health (SDOH) have become an increasingly popular area of research. By incorporating SDOH data into artificial intelligence capabilities, providers could see improved risk identification, patient outcomes, and a decrease in health disparities among underrepresented populations.
For artificial intelligence to be successful in improving patient outcomes with social determinants of health, providers need well-trained algorithms and extensive data addressing community needs.
No longer science fiction, AI is transforming healthcare
AI is getting increasingly sophisticated at doing what humans do, but more efficiently, more quickly and at a lower cost, through:
- Keeping people well. One of AI’s biggest potential benefits is to help people stay healthy so they don’t need a doctor, or at least not as often.
- Early disease detection. AI is already being used to detect diseases, such as cancer, more accurately and in their early stages.
- Diagnosis. IBM’s Watson for Health is helping healthcare organizations apply cognitive technology to unlock vast amounts of health data and power diagnosis.
- Making decisions. Using pattern recognition to identify patients at risk of developing a condition – or seeing it deteriorate due to lifestyle, environmental, genomic, or other factors – is another area where AI is beginning to take hold in healthcare.
- Determining long-term treatment. AI can help clinicians take a more comprehensive approach for disease management, better coordinate care plans and help patients to better manage and comply with their long-term treatment.
- Delivering end-of-life care. We are living much longer than previous generations, and as we approach the end of life, we are dying in a different and slower way, from conditions like dementia, heart failure and osteoporosis.
- Helping with research. By directing the latest advances in AI to streamline the drug discovery and drug repurposing processes there is the potential to significantly cut both the time to market for new drugs and their costs.
- Training. AI allows those in training to go through naturalistic simulations in a way that simple computer-driven algorithms cannot.
How can AI fit into your healthcare business?
To better utilize AI to meet your specific and unique business needs, tap into the experts at Blue Eagle Consulting (BEC). They can show you how AI can help you save time and money and make better educated decisions.
You can turn to BEC to educate your healthcare staff on the myriad uses for AI and deliver valuable knowledge and expertise on how to make the resulting data easy to understand. Plus, consultants can step up and help you meet temporary or ongoing staffing needs.
Simply call Blue Eagle Consulting at 1 (866) 981-1095, use the short and easy Contact Form at https://blueeagle-consulting.com/contact/, or send an email to info@blueeagle-consulting.com. We’ll be glad to help you assess your artificial intelligence needs and understand your options.
