The thought of A.I. replacing human physicians sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but many experts believe that it’s not out of the realm of possibility. It’s more likely that A.I. may be working alongside physicians soon. The medical community is pretty optimistic about the idea of A.I, but many people have different visions about what that will look like in real clinical settings. It’s still unclear how A.I. will improve patients’ lives, but with the technologies we have now, A.I. may not be far off.
What Healthcare Technologies Do We Have Today?
One of the biggest outlooks for A.I. technology could potentially democratize healthcare access for underserved communities and lower healthcare costs. It could free overworked doctors, reduce the risks of medical errors, and help supply healthcare for the surplus of people in hospital outpatient departments for those who need it most. But on the downsides of A.I. in healthcare, it could harm privacy rights, overlook underserved communities based on biases, and fail to deploy services that improve health outcomes for people.
Whatever the future may hold for A.I. technologies, it will most likely come from its predecessors. We have some technologies that apply A.I. techniques that use algorithms instead of human-computer programs. These technologies include:
- Machine-Learning: Machine learning technology is a branch of artificial intelligence that uses data and algorithms to uncover key insights. It looks into trends within the healthcare industry and enables better measures towards providing care for patients. Data science uses algorithms to make classifications and predictions and provides data for businesses to answer questions about future problems.
- Deep-Learning: Similar to machine learning, deep learning works with automating processes and works with raw forms of data, such as text and images, to process data and perform tasks. Deep learning works with higher accuracy and doesn’t require as much human intervention to perform. Some great examples of this are voice recognition technology, imaging analytics for diagnosis, and pharmaceutical data collections.
Right now, many of these programs often need human intervention to be analyzed in today’s healthcare because many of these A.I. systems require human eyes to look for treatments for unusual cases and incorrect diagnosis predictions. While these systems still require more human intervention to function, A.I. technologies are still worth exploring as they can provide fair and accurate applications.
What To Know About Your Healthcare Practice
Many healthcare practices today are gradually improving their technologies to meet the needs of their patients, and one of the biggest focuses in technology has been telemedicine, a form of digital communication that uses video, text, and emails to provide diagnosis and treatment for patients. Another example of this is with touch-less interfaces that diagnose symptoms of Covid-19, including temperature monitors and on-screen scheduling interfaces. Nevertheless, one of the best ways to learn about these technologies and how they impact your healthcare is by contacting your local primary care provider and scheduling an appointment with them for your regular checkup.
