future directions for ai integration within healthcare
It is important to consider the many beneficial applications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, within the healthcare field.
The emerging implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies within the healthcare field has been described in further detail in past articles. This issue is also frequently discussed across various domains. There are many areas within healthcare in which AI can provide important benefits to healthcare professionals and patients alike. It is useful to provide an overview of some of these areas.
In general, there is apprehension that these technologies may become a substitute for human involvement within the healthcare system. As described in past articles, the most common expectation amongst patients and the general public appears to be that of a complimentary role for AI rather than a replacement for human interactions within the healthcare system. At least in part, this sentiment may reflect the inherent human need for interaction with other people, particularly during times of greater vulnerability, such as during illness, injury, and recovery. While there are numerous functions that AI can perform more efficiently and, perhaps, more accurately than humans, the ability to provide compassion and care for others is inherently human.
The benefits of AI integration within healthcare which will be further described in this article are best considered within this paradigm of a complimentary role with human healthcare professionals. The emerging technology is unquestionably better able to analyze and manage large datasets, as are frequently involved within healthcare settings. Such datasets could be for clinical care or research purposes. By utilizing technologic capabilities within both these settings, tremendous advances are possible that ultimately can result in improvements in the quality of healthcare provided to patients.
An important aspect of clinical care which can be enhanced through the integration of AI and related technologies relates to the rapid analysis and interpretation of clinical metrics, such as vital signs and laboratory test results. This information can be in high volume, particularly in critical care settings, and the continuous analysis of results and integration within the developing clinical context is an important function of providing patient care. Through supplementing human clinical judgment with AI analysis, this crucial task can be provided in a more efficient and accurate fashion.
Specific roles for AI and related technologies based upon these considerations may include double checking the analysis, interpretation, and resulting decisions made by healthcare professionals. By incorporating this function within standard clinical care, the capabilities of the emerging technology can serve as a compliment to the experience and expertise of human providers. In this way, the overall quality of care provided would be greater and the experience of the healthcare professional may also be improved through the acquisition of second opinions and enhanced learning.
One of the first clinical areas considered for AI integration has been within image-based diagnostics, particularly radiology and pathology. These areas of clinical practice will likely continue to be enhanced through the ongoing application of technology to support image interpretation, diagnosis, and resulting recommendations. As with other areas of clinical care, the information provided by technology can be used in a complimentary fashion to the opinions of healthcare professionals.
By utilizing the capability of AI to analyze large amounts of information, the many clinical data points can be continuously interpreted to provide optimal assessments and recommendations for patient care. As discussed previously, this function is ideally suited to the capacities of AI and related technology. By optimally interpreting this high volume of information and applying it to the ongoing clinical scenario, more accurate decisions and treatment recommendations can be made.
Research endeavors can also significantly benefit from the use of AI and related technologies. Within the realm of clinical research, large data sets can be better analyzed through the use of this technology, in a similar fashion to clinical data. A similar scenario can be applied in the realm of basic science research whereby the capacity of AI to analyze large volumes of information can be utilized to study genetic information, as an example. Within the domain of pharmaceutical development, these capabilities can be used, for instance, to more efficiently explore and develop novel agents as well as analyze the ability of existing agents to treat different diseases.
Across many areas of society, there is increasing use of wearable devices for measurement of health-related metrics. These include, for example, sleep and heart rate variability. Through the use of AI, it is possible to analyze this large amount of data and provide continuous information to users. In addition, AI can be utilized to interpret the large amounts of data provided by these devices to provide predictions and recommendations. This analysis can be used to promote improved health and wellbeing across large segments of the population.
Another application of AI and related technologies within healthcare includes its use to improve privacy and confidentiality of data. This is particularly important given the large amount of patient health information which must be protected. While it is true that these technologies can be used for nefarious purposes, it is also possible that they can be used to protect this data. There is a specific area of cybersecurity dedicated to maintenance of privacy and confidentiality of patient and health system information from outside attacks.
There are justifiable and reasonable concerns about the potential drawbacks of the integration of AI within healthcare. At the same time, it is also the case that this technology can significantly benefit healthcare professionals and their ability to provide care to patients. In addition, there is emerging application of AI in the development of content for social media and electronic dissemination. It should be remembered that creation and development of online profiles and platforms represents an emerging and important component of the roles of many healthcare professionals. By applying the capabilities of AI within this domain, it becomes possible for healthcare professionals to develop content and dissemination strategies that improve their reach and ability to positively influence their audience.
The perspective of House Call Media is to provide healthcare trained social media management and evidence-driven content development with integration of emerging AI and related technologies.
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