So Much Data. Too Little Time.
How AI is Poised to Revolutionize the Healthcare Industry
Incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into healthcare practices has the potential to transform the industry by improving efficacy and saving time and money. According to a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers (2017), there are eight distinct yet interrelated segments of healthcare that are and will continue to be influenced by AI—Keeping Well, Early Detection, Diagnosis, Decision Making, Treatment, End of Life Care, Research, and Training.
How can artificial intelligence improve these segments? In the Diagnosis segment, AI has the potential to change how healthcare professionals make decisions about patient care. For example, radiologists are inundated with information as they work with patients. Using AI to synthesize the data more accurately (and at a lower cost), would result in more accurate diagnoses and more time spent interacting with patients and serving their needs. As healthcare professionals embrace AI technology, they will improve their overall performances and offer superior service to patients.
According to the Healthcare Data Institute, an estimated 80% of health data is unrecognizable to current systems because it is in an unstructured format. To combat this challenge, IBM has developed “Watson for Health,” which uses cognitive technology to interpret huge amounts of health data, drastically advancing the ability of healthcare personnel to give an accurate diagnosis. Google’s DeepMind Health is also solving healthcare concerns with technology that can mimic the human brain by combining machine learning and systems neuroscience. These types of AI diagnostic advances will greatly enhance analytics platforms and support improved decision-making.
How do you feel about the role of AI in healthcare, and to what extent do you believe it should be involved?
Sources:
1. PWC (updated June 2017) What Doctor? AI and robotics will define New Health http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/14/technology/business/radiology-doctors-artificial-intelligence/index.html