Like most industries, healthcare will struggle to survive without embracing what machines have to offer. However, because healthcare professionals oversee life and death situations, the impact of artificial intelligence and medical software on healthcare has greater implications than in other industries.
The benefits of AI in healthcare come in many forms. One main benefit is data processing power. AI enables clinicians to access detailed patient data in real time while also allowing patients to view their own data and discover health issues ahead of time.
To this end, there are a host of medical apps on the market that correspond with wearable devices used to self-monitor everything from heart rate to blood pressure.
But that’s just the tip of the AI iceberg. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various benefits of AI in healthcare.
Effective AI in the healthcare industry
Within the healthcare industry, a few types of artificial intelligence stand out.
Machine learning helps the healthcare industry by improving information processing and streamlining electronic health records. Machine learning tools track and note changes in patient health data in real time, saving precious time and allowing clinicians and patients to react immediately.
Natural language processing (NLP) is an extension of machine learning in healthcare. NLP refers to technology that understands human speech and text, primarily for the purposes of personal voice assistance and language translation. However, more facilities are embracing the potential of NLP’s ability to mine unstructured healthcare data and deliver actionable insights.
Robotics helps the healthcare industry in the trenches. The practical use of AI-driven robots improves everything from diagnosis to surgery. Robots don’t have feelings, don’t get tired, and never lose focus, making them exceptional surgeons.
Additionally, robotics help facilitate remote diagnosis and treatments and handle time-consuming tasks such as medical imaging analysis (X-rays, CT scans), patient monitoring, and scheduling appointments.
While we’re on the topic of robotics, robotic process automation (RPA) reduces the grind of auxiliary tasks and human error. Software robots are being employed for activities that previously required human attention, such as responding to patient requests and managing data transfers. Human mistakes are increasingly being replaced by the sleek efficiency of RPA, offering arguably better care at a fraction of the cost.
The main benefits of AI in healthcare
Better data, better decision-making
From a clinical point of view, AI helps advance decision-making by providing in-depth data and analysis. Thanks to AI, data tracking is more accurate and comprehensive, allowing for better doctor-to-patient ratios. This fast access to precise data also helps identify patterns within data and streamline patient care management.
Saving time and lives
Another major benefit of AI in healthcare is how it decreases human error and saves time so that highly-trained doctors and nurses can focus more on big-picture tasks such as research, training, and direct consultations with patients. AI lightens the load of physician administration, tracking clinical notes, automating appointment scheduling, and taking care of post-procedural tasks like cleaning and resetting. AI is the perfect employee for undesirable but still vital jobs in a hospital.
Remote patient care
The benefits of AI in healthcare have spread beyond hospital walls. Mobile apps and wearable devices are allowing people to stay healthy at home, reducing the need for visits to medical centers. The abundance of self-care applications has put consumers in charge of their own day-to-day well-being, all while easing physicians’ workloads.
Helping doctors-in-training
AI also allows medical students to experience naturalistic simulations that sharpen their skills and knowledge. Medical apps also allow up-and-coming physicians to train anywhere at any time. AI has made education in healthcare more rounded and complete, helping doctors-in-training prepare for intense and thriving careers.
Challenges and ethics of AI in healthcare
While the benefits of AI in healthcare are clear, implementing AI within medical technology correctly and ethically comes with challenges.
AI can certainly reduce problems caused by human error, but AI is not ready to work entirely on its own. Humans still instruct AI on what steps to take. Of course, this can cause problems in the sensitive world of healthcare, as the sleek efficiency of AI can be at odds with the personal care provided by physicians. People want to feel cared for, especially at times of physical stress, and machines are not designed for emotional comfort.
What the future holds for AI in healthcare
AI has been touted as the future of healthcare, but what is the future of AI?
AI will not be slowing down any time soon. As medical software evolves, so will AI’s role as the perfect doctor’s assistant. We should not develop AI to remove human involvement in medicine, but rather to accentuate and improve it. Decreasing human error is important, but maintaining the human touch is just as important.
Finally, AI’s positive impact on training and education will also keep growing as new physicians benefit from the flexibility and dexterity AI brings to medical technology. Embracing AI at an early stage will become a requirement for every doctor-in-training.
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