Artificial intelligence is quickly disrupting almost industry, from retail and e-commerce to financial markets and services to even healthcare. The healthcare industry is about to experience a giant makeover as the major players are putting their affairs in order and finding quicker ways to ramp up data collection needed for AI algorithms, making way for more efficient systems.
There’s no way in telling how each company chooses to use technology in elevating healthcare. They may contribute to the improvement in hospital operations or enhance the way in which physicians collect diagnostics. There are also some pressing concerns involved, like how patient data can be manipulated. At this point, there’s no denying that AI will be integral to hospital operations in the near future. Here are ways experts predict it can change how hospitals operate in 2020:
Advanced medical diagnostics
Diagnostic methods today still yield both high rates of false positives and negatives, especially when it comes to diseases like lung and breast cancer. AI has the power to enable quicker diagnoses, even better than what radiologists can deliver. This, in turn, allows for earlier and more aggressive treatment of these illnesses.
More efficient data collection from records
In order for a care provider to adequately treat a patient, they need access to a comprehensive medical history. Unfortunately, pertinent information about a patient isn’t always available, resulting in them not being able to do their jobs as efficiently as they could. The norm today is for a patient’s medical records to be scattered across multiple documents, making it difficult for providers to collect relevant information. Healthcare experts relied on electronic health records (EHRs) to put a stop to this problem, but even new systems haven’t been successful in centralizing patient data. It gets even trickier when you take into account the lengthy notes clinicians write. The information tends to be written in everyday language, which makes it difficult for standard computer algorithms to collect and organize relevant data that providers can have access to.
With AI, there is such a thing called natural language processing (NLP) that is able to read written language. It can effectively analyze natural language and unstructured medical text to isolate the details healthcare providers need. As a result, a patient’s medical history is summarized without the need for human intervention.
Improve the efficacy of medical devices
AI can also enhance the effectiveness of medical devices used in hospitals. AI used in surgical robots can stabilize the hand movements of surgeons to remove hand tremors, resulting in more precise incisions. There are also CT scanners that can reduce noise and stitch together scans, allowing radiologists to read and interpret them better. Luckily, there’s a new FDA rule that makes it easy for manufacturers to get their AI-powered devices approved for immediate use in health institutions.
AI is transforming the way hospitals are run
The new advancements in AI can help hospitals become more productive and deliver better care for patients. But institutions that are adopting this new technology should also understand the dangers that can come with collecting and managing the torrential downpour of sensitive patient information.
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