Although artificial intelligence is still a long way from some of the ideals popularized in science fiction, there is no doubt that AI is quickly working its way into more and more sectors. One of the many sectors that AI is revolutionizing is that of healthcare. Here are three ways AI is changing the healthcare industry.
- Better diagnosis
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of medicine is the sharing of knowledge, information and insights. While technology makes it easier to share even the smallest of details. doctors only have so much time to absorb all of the available information. As everything from medical imaging to medical records are moving to digital, AI, can ingest millions of scans and patient files to find common symptoms for a wide variety of ailments that human doctors might miss or help doctors better interpret what they are seeing in medical images.
- Better cross-cultural care
Perhaps one of the most important medical discoveries in recent years is the ways in which people of different cultures, races, heritages or genders present with very different symptoms for the same conditions. Once again, AI is capable of scanning thousands of medical records to help doctors determine these different ways in which the same conditions present with very different symptoms based on race, ethnicity, gender or a number of other different factors.
- Better scheduling
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of running a large hospital or medical facility is juggling the many constantly developing needs of patients. Needles to say, patients rarely know in advance when they will need medical care and often when they do need it, some needs are more urgent than others. In addition, routine surgeries can sometimes develop sudden complications that can tack on additional hours of surgery, tying up an operating suite in the process. They may also need tests run immediately, which can delay tests that other doctors might be waiting on. While each individual department may be able to rearrange and manage their schedules individually, a hospital or large care facility is a many-tentacled beast, with disruptions in one arm affecting all the rest. AI is able to help manage all these many moving pieces and parts with greater efficiency, which leads to better cost effectiveness.