Background:
If there is one technology that is changing the way we think and work, it is undoubtedly Artificial Intelligence. More commonly called AI, Artificial Intelligence is being used everywhere, and is helping every industry enhance efficiency and speed of operations at a comparatively lower cost. The healthcare industry, too, is not an exception. From personalized treatment to actionable optimized medical care facilities, AI has provided countless breakthroughs in healthcare.
What is Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare?
Artificial Intelligence or AI relates to the use of complex algorithms, which are designed in such a way, that they can perform certain routine tasks, in an automated manner. Talking specifically about the healthcare industry, when researchers, doctors, or scientists inject medical data into computers, the algorithms can review and interpret the data and even suggest solutions to complex medical problems.
How does machine learning help in Healthcare?
Disease Prediction:
When a patient visits a doctor, the doctor conducts some tests and then collects some data, the basis on which the doctor predicts the disease. But, due to human error, some data or symptoms may get missed, which could affect the correct diagnosis. But in the case of AI, all the relevant data is fed into the software. The software is so programmed, that it accurately spots signs of certain diseases and helps in diagnosis.
Discovering New Drugs:
Discovering new drugs is a time-consuming process and involves a lot of costs as well. This is due to the large number of molecules available. But the use of AI makes this process fast and more effective. AI can predict the 3D structure of the protein, and also predict the effect of a compound on the target along with safety considerations before their synthesis or production.
Virtual Assistants:
Apart from providing treatment, doctors have to take care of many low-value routine activities, which eat into a lot of their valuable time. Here also, AI can help them. AI can be used to improve clinical workflows and manage routine tasks like accessing patients’ records, delivering therapy guidelines and information to patients, follow up the treatment process, and providing non-clinical guidance in an effective manner.
Using Old Drugs for New Cure:
Inventing a new drug can involve a lot of time and costs. And with the rapid spread of diseases like COVID, we don’t have the luxury of time. But AI can help us correctly predict the protein structure of various molecules, and predict possible uses of that same molecule in treating other diseases.
Robot-Assisted Surgery:
Thanks to complex algorithms, Artificial Intelligence is being used to perform robot-assisted surgeries. These robots use deep learning data to correctly predict all possible scenarios. Using the experience of the doctors, AI can identify patterns within surgical procedures to improve best practices and to improve a surgical robots’ control accuracy to sub-millimeter precision.
Virtual Nursing Assistants:
AI can also healthcare industry by providing personalized virtual nursing to patients. If a patient is facing some medical challenge, he/she can share the symptoms with a virtual nursing assistant and it will guide you through. It will not only provide medical advice basis your history but also schedule doctor appointments if required.
Administrative Workflow Assistance:
Artificial Intelligence not only helps the health professionals in treating various diseases, but it also helps in managing various non-core activities, which are repetitive in nature. One of the major applications of AI includes voice-to-text transcription that automates non-core activities like writing prescriptions, medical notes or even ordering some tests to be conducted.
Patient Engagement:
These days, with advanced technology and growing consumerism, patients are becoming more and more demanding. They are not happy with an annual visit to the doctor and are definitely not prepared to wait there for hours together. They want more prompt, and personalized medical care. AI collects the patients’ medical history, and monitors their health on regular basis, and provides timely intervention, as and when required.
Best AI-Enabled Software for Doctors:
There are various AI-enabled software available for doctors, which offer various features and benefits. But, when it comes to recommending software that offers maximum features, I would recommend the Docterz app.
The app has been designed by the doctors, for the doctors. And hence all the requirements of the doctors have been taken into consideration. It helps the doctors manage their various appointments on a single screen. It helps you check a patient’s past history, even during the consultation, thereby making it more accurate.
These days, giving a printed prescription is very common. It has become a hygiene factor. But Docterz app learns from your past treatments, medicines given, and then helps a doctor by predicting possible treatments. It also provides prescriptions graphically so that everyone can understand them easily. Finally, it has a lot of medical literature prepared by the best of the experts to enhance your medical knowledge.
Future it Holds:
Artificial Intelligence in the healthcare industry holds great promise in the near future. In addition to the things mentioned above, there are many more wide and wide-reaching applications that AI can be used for. Some of the major future applications are given below:
1. Mobile Coaching Solutions:
This involves advising patients and improving treatment outcomes, using real-time data. Companies are using smartphone apps, which help in treating minor ailments.
2. Personalized Medication:
The AI captures the patients’ history, and also captures data regarding the patient’s allergy or side effects to a particular compound. This way, it helps give personalized medication to each patient.
3. Hybrid Model:
This is going to be yet another opportunity for AI in the near future. Artificial Intelligence will provide healthcare professionals all-around assistance for planning treatment, diagnosing the disease, and identifying the risk factors.