The power of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare – best examples
With Artificial Intelligence getting increasingly present in every aspect of our lives, it is no wonder it’s also transforming healthcare. The potential is immense, so AI technology is being used by more and more clinics and hospitals around the world. Let’s look at the most interesting examples of how it is driving innovation into our medical system.
AI transforming healthcare
AI has been transforming healthcare for some time, but the recent pandemic accelerated the process, making things like access to e-health systems not just a commodity but a must-have.
More and more technology is being used for treatments of cancer or heart diseases while elderly people use programs that allow practitioners to monitor them at home, without the need of prolonged hospitalization.
The industry is changing rapidly, and its main drivers, as listed by the recent Retail Health & Wellness Tech report by PitchBook, are:
- COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the need for a robust pandemic preparedness and response infrastructure based on technology,
- Doctors focusing more on preventive care and healthy lifestyles,
- Increased consumer health awareness and healthy eating index,
- Consumer wellness startups partnering with corporations,
- Growing elderly population and increased life expectancy,
- Digital economy opening door to telehealth, personalized solutions, and fitness applications,
- Population increase coupled with lack of medical providers,
- Growth of social media, useful in promoting healthy lifestyle,
- Consumer and provider demand for healthcare flexibility,
- Expanding cost of traditional healthcare,
- Advancements in AI and Big Data.
AI in healthcare – best examples
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen some magnificent examples of how ML and AI are being used in healthcare. Here are some of the most impressive ones:
- COVID-19 Clinical Severity Predictive Analytics Tool, COVID-19 Early-alerts Signals and Vaccine Hesitance Analytics Tool
Since COVID-19 outbreak, predictive analytics and AI technology are being used to fight the pandemic by predicting the pandemic curve, tracking misinformation related to vaccines and extracting themes and topics on vaccine hesitancy. They have been of great help to governments and various health systems.
- Manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines
AI and ML technologies have been used to extract and analyze data needed to reliably scale the vaccine production. Advanced systems have been implemented to help understand when and where to distribute doses of the vaccine so that they get delivered where they should, hugely influencing supply chain and pharma sectors.
- Live predictive analytics for urgent care system
Live predictive analytics is used to determine the likelihood of patients developing medical conditions such as cardiac problems, diabetes, or strokes. Business intelligence technologies and predictive analytics are also used to proactively direct ambulance flows to support each other when needed, helping healthcare providers delivering optimal care.
- Drug development
In pharma sector, AI based systems are being used to support researchers in their drug development processes. Such an approach saves time and money and allows for a through analysis of all data related to the drugs. New technologies also help with data monitoring and improving patient recruitment into clinical trials.
- Radiomics
Radiomics is a field of science which aims at development and analysis of biomarkers extracted from medical images. With the potential of uncovering patterns not visible to the naked eye, it is successfully used for disease diagnosis, survival prediction and assessment of response to a treatment.
- Automated DCE-MRI analysis
DCE–MRI plays a vital role in brain tumors diagnosis by providing information on tumor prognosis. When done manually, it is prone to mistakes and is very time consuming. A fully automated solution can accelerate diagnosis, ensure reproducibility, and reduce mistakes.
- Robotics surgery
Robotics surgery enables doctors to perform complex medical procedures with the highest precision and control. It is usually associated with minimal invasive surgery, although it is now being used also in more traditional surgical procedures. Thanks to its precision (precise cutting and stitching not available through traditional techniques), it minimizes blood loss and risks of infection for patients.
- Chatbots and administrative assistance
By offering immediate response and communication with patients, chatbots are a great way to improve primary healthcare and accelerate the process of getting access to the right information. Digital human platforms allow patients to get in touch 24/7 and find answers to questions they may have. Administrative assistance tools on the other hand are the most important and widely used AI applications in healthcare. They help healthcare professionals in their everyday duties, in time management and assessments, saving a huge amount of time and money in the whole industry.
Platforms for medical AI professionals
Good places to start looking for more information about the subject and for advice are:
- SoPE (Society of Physician Entrepreneurs)
A global community of changemakers and entrepreneurs transforming the future of healthcare. Its main purpose is to provide a global community-based platform for biomedical and healthcare entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate.
- MI10 (Medical Intelligence 10)
Trusted AI education and adoption advisors, who teach and train students, trainees, clinicians, patients and stakeholders about artificial intelligence and its adoption. Its highly qualified team of experts has a wide experience in different fields of healthcare and artificial intelligence, including augmented & virtual reality, cloud computing, deep learning, and robotic process automation. MI10 is a place to go for advice, education, and evaluation of your organization’s readiness to implement AI strategy.
- RYTE
The first all-in-one solution that gathers and analyzes billions of data points on millions of healthcare providers and clinics globally.
The impact of introducing AI in healthcare
Given its ability to optimize the use of resources, it is predicted that in the nearest future AI will have a huge economic impact on healthcare, making it one of the most innovative sectors and ensuring high-quality medical help.
According to a report by Deloitte and MedTech Europe, AI can potentially help save as many as 400 000 lives a year, while freeing up to 1.8 billion working hours annually, which is equivalent of having 500 000 additional full time healthcare professionals.
These are huge numbers which should not be ignored. The time of AI and ML in healthcare has come and it’s only wise to follow this wave of innovation within all medical related businesses.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is a professor emeritus of otolaryngology, dentistry, and engineering at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Colorado School of Public Health and President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs.
He has created several medical devices and digital health companies. His primary research centers around biomedical and health innovation and entrepreneurship and life science technology commercialization. He consults for and speaks to companies, governments, colleges and universities around the world.