The potentiality of artificial intelligence (AI) is tremendous when it comes to the healthcare industry. With every day the severity of the diseases putting new challenges to physicians, the job to offer timely and effective care has become challenging. But with machine learning and predictive analytics, healthcare operations has undergone a drastic change. Now, with analytics tools that leverage AI, converting patient data into relevant information is spontaneous.
As patients demand for advanced care facilities and more efficiency from healthcare providers, the need to make relevant use of data is also rising. With learning algorithms, providers can get access to more precise data, gaining a better insight into patient conditions.
Here are the six ways that point out the various useful facets of AI in the healthcare sector.
1. Adding Intelligence to Medical Devices and Machines
Today, people can’t imagine their life without smart devices. From mobile phones to wearable devices, we have come up a long way through technological evolution for intelligent living. Already the consumer diaspora is full of smart devices that offers real-time data through videos, images, etc. every day new developments are taking place, and the credit for that goes to innovation in the usage of AI.
Especially when it comes to the medical environment, the role of smart devices is of manifold today. All such devices leveraging AI technology is capable of identifying changes in the patient health condition such as an increase in heartbeat, blood pressure, etc. All these data can alert the doctor in real-time to help take immediate action necessary to save a life. With the inclusion of AI in smart devices, the cognitive burden can reduce from the physician’s shoulder. Also, it can help patients get timely care.
2. Enabling More Precise Analytics of Pathology Images
A pathologist can better assess the pathological images with the insertion of AI into pathology test devices. Yes, that’s true. At present, the picture we get has lots of scopes for improvement. As more than 70% of medical decisions are taken on the basis of pathology results, obtaining maximum accuracy has become crucial. This is possible when AI is put into use. The diagnostic data can get more precise offering minute details of a large digital image through AI application. Hence, the more accurate analytics doctors get, the better will be their course of treatment.
Moreover, artificial intelligence can analyze and identify details of a pathology image much before than the human eye does. This, in turn, can help in providing a faster diagnosis. Digital pathology in a combination of AI has a lot of potentials which when investigated can help drill down to pixel analysis of an image. Directing pathologists through relevant points only, AI can eliminate the need to go through everything including the irrelevant points too.
3. Turning Mobile into Diagnostic Tools
There is hardly anyone who doesn’t know how to take mobile selfies. But what if these selfies turn into diagnostic tools?
It sounds interesting, right?
We all know that reach and impact of portable devices such as mobile have in our life. Hence, other than their typical uses, these devices can serve many useful purposes too. According to experts, smartphone selfies can serve as clinical images that can later be analyzed using artificial intelligence algorithms. The idea is practical as today most of the people carry advanced smartphones with excellent picture quality and other sensors. Hence, additional insertion of AI software and hardware into mobiles can help provide faster and more personalized care.
Many researchers have already started experimenting with the potentiality of smartphones in medical diagnosis. Several AI supported tools are being developed that can use the algorithm to support clinical decisions.
4. Health Monitoring through Wearable Devices
Today, most of the people are health conscious. They know how to keep track of their medical conditions and lifestyle changes. Thanks to wearable devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and so that gives people control over their health. These devices have sensors. They generate real-time data such as heartbeat, calories lost, sleeping hours, water intake quantity, etc. giving users a glimpse of their lifestyle. As a result, every day an increasing amount of health data is being generated.
The data available on wearable devices can supplement patient-provided data available through healthcare apps. These data offer a comprehensive view of individual health, helping doctors provide remote care to patients far away. Here artificial intelligence can add more benefits by assisting extract quality insights from the data these wearable devices create.
5. Helps in Accurate Analysis of EHR Data
The manual storage of patient data gave healthcare providers nightmare. Then came a digital replacement in the form of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) that made the job easier and more organized. However, extracting insights and accurately analyzing the information to get accurate and timely data is a challenge. It’s been quite a long time that EHR came into use; still, providers and developers struggle with integrity and data issues. Moreover, different forms of data structures, incorporation of both structured and unstructured data, and incomplete details make the task tedious. And all these factors are adding to the difficulty level of EHR users in leveraging predictive analytics to turn data into insights for clinical use.
The application of artificial intelligence in the analysis of EHR data can help predict a stroke or any other disease to help the patient with immediate prevention care.
6. Decode Neural Activities through Brain-computer Interface
From treatment for cancer to life support systems, technology is everywhere. With the increase in the use of the latest equipment and devices, quality of care and functional efficiency is much better than it was in the past. Now, even a patient with neurological diseases and trauma can convey their feelings. Yes, that’s possible only because of Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). These interfaces help connect the human mind with technology to help restore experiences of the brain.
BCI uses artificial intelligence to decode neural activities of patients who cannot talk, move or interact due to neurological problems and trauma. For instance, when the patient moves his hand, BCI decodes that movement to help understand what he is trying to communicate. Such interpretational abilities of BCI can be of great help to patients with stroke, spinal cord injuries, locked-in syndrome, etc.
Wrapping Up!
Technology has transformed every bit of healthcare system. From remote care to electronic record-keeping, medical help is now a step away, or instead, we say a click-away. With various mHealth apps and advanced medical devices coming in, offering quality care to the population at large has become seamless.
With its ability to study data and extract meaningful insights, artificial intelligence has left its mark across various sectors. This technology has been making quite a noise since the time of its inception. Though scope for further improvement is still there, AI continues to leave the world in awe of its excellence and usability. Though the healthcare sector has been a slow adopter of technology, gradually the industry responded to changing trends.
Hence, the wave of transformation brought by AI application is already noticeable in the medical sector. It won’t be wrong to expect that soon this technology will lead the entire healthcare industry for the betterment of people.
