Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making waves in the tech industry since its inception in the early 1950s, and it’s starting to transform industries ranging from agriculture to space exploration. One of the most significant transformations AI has had so far? The healthcare industry. As one of the world's most challenging and costly industries, healthcare has taken to artificial intelligence like no other industry before it, with many companies seeing great success in saving money and lives through this new technology. Here are six ways artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare for the better!
AI Boosts R&D and Drug Development
In recent years, AI has begun to play a role in healthcare research and development (R&D) and drug development. Pharmaceutical companies use machine learning algorithms to predict which molecules will most effectively treat disease. This helps them design and test new drugs more quickly and efficiently. Additionally, AI is used to develop personalized treatments based on a patient's genetic makeup. DeepMind, a Google-owned company, created an algorithm using health records to identify early warning signs of diseases like type 2 diabetes. The company was able to identify patterns within millions of NHS hospital admissions records and predicted diabetes risk with higher accuracy. With a C-index of 0.74 to 0.94 (74-94%), nothing gives more accurate results in the healthcare industry than AI.
Robotic Assisted Surgery
Robotics and machine learning provide new tools for surgeons to target and precisely remove cancerous tumors. One example is the da Vinci surgical system, which allows surgeons to operate with greater precision. Additionally, AI-enabled robots can be used to transport and position patients during surgery, which can help reduce fatigue and improve accuracy. The evolution of AI has shifted modern surgery toward autonomous and pinpoint intervention, which has improved the treatment of chronic and acute symptoms. Significant advancements in surgical planning (preoperative), intra-operative assistance and guidance, and surgical robotics have been made with the help of such methods. With the help of AI, the chemotherapy regimen can be optimized by managing drug use and predicting tolerance. Correct diagnoses, fewer unnecessary surgeries, and enhanced oncology care for patients with cancer are all possible thanks to artificial intelligence.
Diagnosing Patient Conditions
Doctors and other medical professionals have long been using artificial intelligence to diagnose patient conditions better. With AI's help, doctors can more quickly and accurately identify diseases and conditions. Computerized reasoning offers enhanced medical services and presents unimaginable chances to recoup patient and clinical group outcomes. That means that AI can even help identify previously undiagnosed conditions. Additionally, because AI can learn from previous mistakes and alter its diagnosis accordingly when it makes a mistake, this technology will only continue to improve over time.
Analyzing Electronic Health Records
Extracting and analyzing data from electronic health records can be time-consuming and tedious. Doctors must manually read through all the information, perform calculations, and record their findings in a patient's file. AI can help doctors with this process by extracting relevant medical information, performing complex calculations on that data, and presenting it to doctors in an easily digestible format. The best part? Doctors only need to confirm that the AI has accurately identified what they were looking for to approve its findings. Another way AI is transforming healthcare is by helping to generate personalized treatment plans for patients. This is done by considering a patient's medical history, symptoms, and other factors. AI can also help identify patient health data patterns that may indicate a specific condition or disease. By doing this, AI can help to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment plans.
Radiology Image Analysis
One way AI is transforming healthcare is through radiology image analysis. In the past, radiologists would have to go through images manually, which was time-consuming and could lead to human error. However, with AI, image analysis can be done quickly and accurately. This not only saves time but also ensures that patients receive the best possible care. In AI radiology image analysis, algorithms automatically detect and diagnose diseases from images, such as X-rays and MRIs. This can help speed up the diagnostic process and make it more accurate.
Wearables and Other AI Devices Help Monitor Health
AI-enabled devices are getting smaller and more sophisticated. They’re also becoming more affordable, which means more people have access to them. That’s good news for healthcare, as these devices can help monitor everything from heart rate and blood pressure to stress levels and sleep patterns. All of this data allows physicians to understand a patient's condition better. For example, a wristband like Mio Alpha 2 analyzes users' heart rates in real time so they know when it's too high or low and sends notifications if something goes wrong. In the future, AI could provide doctors with unprecedented data about their patients' conditions, so they're better equipped to handle anything.
Will AI Replace Doctors?
While there are many advantages to artificial intelligence in healthcare, one of the most controversial topics is whether or not AI will eventually replace doctors. Although AI can do many things, such as diagnose diseases and provide personalized treatment plans, there are some things that it cannot do. For example, AI cannot provide the emotional support that patients need. In addition, AI cannot make ethical decisions. Therefore, although AI will transform healthcare, it will not replace doctors. Instead, AI will change the way they work. One way this could happen is by having computers monitor a patient's vitals while a doctor focuses on more complex tasks, such as diagnosing and treating disease. Other ways include allowing medical professionals to quickly access information without manually searching through data and drawing conclusions faster due to machine learning programs analyzing images more rapidly than humans can. Overall, AI will not replace doctors but will change how they work to increase efficiency and the quality of care delivered.
The Bottom Line
Artificial intelligence has improved healthcare in numerous ways, including assisting doctors and medical professionals in analyzing data to make better decisions and providing patients with care that is tailored to their specific needs. Many healthcare organizations are already utilizing the power of AI to improve patient care and save lives. AI will continue to improve and transform the healthcare industry, but it will never replace doctors.
Author bio: Merry is a singer, songwriter, blogger, a book marketer, and recovering worship leader.For two years, Merry had the amazing opportunity to minister Christian youth with her Mom, also serving as Sunday school teacher. She is now happily living with her four sisters and both parents. She also enjoys travelling, photography, and playing with her two dogs.
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