Written by Nikhil Patel
The concern about machines replacing human jobs has existed for decades. However, in recent years, we’ve moved away from the idea of robots doing everything for us and toward a reality where computers are actively improving our lives. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become crucial in many sectors, including manufacturing and healthcare. With endless possibilities ahead, it’s time to explore how AI can revolutionize our world.
AI is a field within computer science focused on enabling machines to perform tasks traditionally requiring human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, planning, and problem-solving. As AI continues to gain traction across various industries, it is making significant contributions to medicine, driving groundbreaking advancements.
In healthcare, AI is enhancing access to care for individuals with health challenges and providing more personalized treatment options. This article will explore how AI is improving medical practices, reducing the risk of errors, and highlighting its practical applications in the field of medicine.
AI is enhancing efficiency in healthcare
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has made significant strides in the healthcare sector, leading to innovations that are transforming how medical care is delivered and experienced. While healthcare has traditionally been a conservative field, AI is increasingly streamlining processes and improving overall efficiency.
AI boosts efficiency by automating tasks that would typically consume a lot of time for medical staff. For instance, AI can quickly scan thousands of research articles on cancer treatment to extract relevant information for a specific patient’s case. This saves doctors valuable time they would otherwise spend on research, allowing them to focus more on patient care and other critical responsibilities in their practice.
AI is Enhancing Technology to Improve Patient Outcomes
Artificial Intelligence is not only improving the quality of patient care but also helping to reduce healthcare costs. One notable example is the work of Dr. Kang Zhang and his team, who developed an AI system that can analyze eye scans to detect conditions that may impair vision, such as diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness among diabetic patients. This AI system acts as a first line of defense, flagging potential signs of diabetic blindness for further investigation by doctors.
Dr. Zhang explains, “In some situations, physicians can’t consider all possibilities. This system can double-check and ensure that nothing is overlooked.” The team has advanced their approach by developing a system that can identify patterns not only in images but also in text, further enhancing diagnostic accuracy.
AI is also being integrated into other medical devices. For example, pacemakers are now programmed with machine learning algorithms that can adjust their pace or rhythm as needed. Hearing aids have been optimized using various machine learning techniques, and even stents have been enhanced with algorithmic models, including deep learning neural networks (DNN), improving their effectiveness.
Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Medication Development
The rise of Artificial Intelligence is significantly improving the process of creating medications. AI can model how drugs interact with the body, predict potential side effects before human trials, and even help determine the optimal dosage and delivery methods. Additionally, AI can suggest combinations of drugs that may work more effectively together than when taken separately.
AI’s role in drug creation builds upon its earlier contributions to drug discovery. For years, pharmaceutical companies have used machines to screen potential drug compounds, rapidly calculating their interactions with various chemicals. This process provides valuable insights into how a drug functions and what side effects it might cause, helping researchers develop safer medications.
Although computer simulations can’t yet predict every possible drug interaction, they are already an essential part of the drug development pipeline. AI has proven particularly useful in identifying high-risk patient groups who may need special care when using a new drug. For instance, in 2021, researchers applied machine learning techniques to analyze factors related to toxic hepatitis caused by acetaminophen poisoning — a common ingredient in over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol — which is frequently used to treat headaches and other aches and pains.
Predicting Preterm Birth with Artificial Intelligence
Preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is a leading cause of infant mortality and is linked to an increased risk of respiratory issues, cerebral palsy, and developmental delays.
The causes of preterm birth are multifactorial, often involving patient-specific factors like age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES), as well as pregnancy-related factors such as advanced maternal age or conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes (DM2) during pregnancy.
Artificial intelligence can enhance the prediction of preterm birth by analyzing vast amounts of data from millions of pregnancies stored in electronic medical records (EMR). By identifying risk factors early, AI enables healthcare providers to intervene sooner, potentially preventing complications that could lead to preterm birth. Additionally, it helps reduce healthcare costs by minimizing unnecessary tests and procedures, streamlining the care process.
Automating and Scrutinizing Processes to Reduce Human Error in Healthcare
Many healthcare tasks involve manual data entry or analysis, which can be prone to human error. These mistakes can lead to critical issues, such as patients receiving the wrong medications or incorrect conclusions being drawn from medical data, putting patients’ lives at risk. In fact, preventable hospital errors contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, exposing a significant portion of the population to life-threatening risks due to human mistakes.
Artificial Intelligence is helping to reduce these risks by automating data analysis, data entry, and other manual processes. This not only streamlines hospital operations, cutting costs, but also allows doctors to focus more on patient care, rather than spending time on administrative tasks like entering data or waiting for lab results. With greater efficiency and accuracy, AI helps healthcare providers treat patients more effectively and make better-informed decisions.
Moreover, AI technologies can proactively identify and prevent potentially fatal medical errors before they occur. For example, medical coding systems that use natural language processing (NLP) can scan the records of discharged patients. If AI detects issues like incorrect prescriptions or missed diagnoses, it alerts hospital administrators, allowing them to take immediate action to prevent further harm and ensure patient safety.
An End to “One-Size-Fits-All” Medicine with Personalized Care
AI systems are transforming healthcare by enabling personalized treatment plans based on individual patient data—something that would be impossible for humans to achieve alone due to limitations in time and knowledge. During a doctor’s visit, patients provide a range of information, such as their living conditions, allergies, and medical history, including past injuries or surgeries.
This rich data allows AI to analyze patterns in medical knowledge while factoring in lifestyle elements to create personalized health recommendations. Instead of offering generic guidelines that may not be suitable for every patient, AI can generate tailored health plans that align with an individual’s specific needs, ensuring more effective and precise care.
Final thoughts
The healthcare sector is rapidly emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most profitable areas for Artificial Intelligence. While AI is still evolving, it has already proven to be an invaluable tool for healthcare professionals. In the near future, AI is unlikely to replace human medical experts, but it will certainly enhance their ability to make more accurate and informed decisions when diagnosing and treating diseases.
The speed at which AI is advancing in medicine is truly astonishing. Not long ago, many viewed this technology as science fiction, but today we are on the cusp of witnessing groundbreaking discoveries driven by its application in healthcare.
Despite being in its developmental stages, AI holds immense potential to revolutionize disease diagnosis and treatment. The future of AI in medicine is bright, and we are eager to see the exciting breakthroughs that will unfold in this transformative field.
