Technological development has enabled people to solve a variety of issues. Medicine has benefited from technological advances immensely. Admittedly, computers and robotics have become an indispensable part of healthcare. Healthcare professionals are able to detect any abnormal tissue and find the cause of a disorder. At present, patients’ data are being collected, stored, and processed with the help of computers. It is very important to detect the nidus to develop proper treatment patterns. A variety of devices help achieve this goal. Healthcare professionals are exploring the benefits of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of settings. For instance, Tsevas et al. report that AI applications are used in detecting pulmonary infections and their treatment. The use of AI improves the quality of the services provided and it also helps develop leadership in healthcare.
In the first place, it is important to take a closer look at the ways AI is used in healthcare. As has been mentioned above, healthcare professionals benefit from the use of technology while processing patients’ data. Admittedly, this saves them time and helps address patients’ health issues more efficiently. Managing patients’ data properly contributes to the development of proper treatment patterns. Notably, numerous AI applications managing data already exist. Their advantages have been well-researched. For instance, the data are available for all who have access. The data can also be updated regularly. The AI applications tie some cases to similar cases, which enables them to “provide a most probable diagnosis”. Existing applications are easy to use as they are based on a variety of classifiers and practitioners can obtain the necessary questions.
It is also important to note that technology contributes to the development of proper communication between healthcare professionals. There are still lots of issues associated with the lack of interaction between doctors, nurses, managers, patients, etc. Technology helps diminish this gap as data can be available for all stakeholders.
Apart from data management, AI helps handle more sophisticated medical issues. For instance, it can help healthcare professionals analyze patients’ data. There are loads of applications that are aimed at the analysis of a variety of cases. Thus, numerous IT companies are working on a variety of AI applications. These applications can be potentially used in healthcare. For example, according to the researchers in Indiana University Kris Hauser and Casey C. Bennett, AI can improve the healthcare system. The researchers claim that their application processed patients’ data more efficiently and came up with the correct diagnosis much faster than doctors. The research shows that the use of AI leads to a 30 percent “increase in positive patient outcomes”. There is an explanation for such outcomes. It is not about doctors being non-professional, but it is about the lack of information. The researchers note that healthcare professionals often have insufficient data, which leads to incorrect diagnosis and treatment. However, AI has access to a variety of data that can be analyzed efficiently.
The researchers point out that the use of AI offers vital solutions for the healthcare system. They stress that healthcare services are becoming more expensive each year and the population of the western world is aging. AI can save money spent by hospitals as well as the government. Hauser and Bennett note that the use of certain AI applications can “enhance the outcome advantage to about 50% more improvement at about half the cost”. Admittedly, this is crucial for many countries that are still struggling with severe financial constraints.
Needless to say that patients will obtain correct diagnosis and treatment, which will lead to their healing. Noteworthy, people were somewhat suspicious of AI several years ago. However, according to a recent survey, people tend to be more trusting and do not mind the use of AI while developing diagnosis and treatment patterns. Therefore, people are ready to be consulted by virtual doctors.
It is necessary to state that such consultations are appearing in the field of e-medicine. Lots of people resort to e-consultations nowadays. For many people, this is a very good way to obtain the necessary consultation on a variety of urgent issues. AI potentially can handle this task. The abundance of data on various healthcare issues can be used for the creation of an application for such purposes. AI applications can help healthcare professionals address more serious and unconventional cases. At the same time, these applications will help patients obtain the correct answers faster.
One of the most remarkable examples of the use of AI is its use in the mental healthcare field. For instance, a new application is being developed. This application is specific as it is not concerned with virtual doctors, but it is about virtual patients. The researchers claim that the application can be used to “help train military clinicians and other personnel on how to detect the risk for suicide”. The AI application will be based on a variety of cases that can be updated regularly. Of course, this will have a positive impact on the professional development of practitioners. It will help them gain the necessary experience more effectively. There will be fewer mistakes and more patients will get proper diagnosis and treatment. Clearly, this approach to the use of AI applications can be used in a variety of fields. Though, psychiatry and psychology can benefit from the use of AI most.
Importantly, the use of AI applications will be favorable for patients and practitioners as well as other healthcare professionals. It is also possible to note that AI can help develop leadership in the healthcare environment. In the first place, AI can provide healthcare professionals with excessive data which will enable them to analyze issues and come to the correct conclusions. This will help them develop certain authority which is crucial for any organization. Thus, high-profile healthcare professionals who are able to address a variety of issues will gain patients’ trust. Authority and trust are essential for proper communication between a doctor and a patient. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will be able to be more confident, which is also very important. Admittedly, hesitation can lead to really sad consequences.
Apart from improved communication between healthcare professionals and patients, AI can positively affect leadership in healthcare organizations. These applications can help healthcare professionals handle various serious issues. At the same time, AI can free medical staff from routine tasks which take a lot of time. The saved time can be used to develop different skills, e.g. leadership skills. Clearly, this will help make healthcare organizations more efficient. For instance, inspiring leaders in a team of professionals will make the organization more effective. There is extensive research on leadership in healthcare settings. Nonetheless, this research lacks information on the use of AI applications in this field. This area requires further research.
It has been acknowledged that medical staff lacks leadership skills due to a variety of reasons. Thus, lack of proper communication among healthcare professionals leads to a lot of misunderstanding and improper operation of different departments. This can also lead to mistakes when it comes to patients’ treatment. AI applications can easily address this issue as data management is one of its priorities. Another problem is often the lack of authority in a variety of settings. Leaders are needed in any organization and the healthcare field is no exception. Nowadays, there are teams that focus on certain cases. Admittedly, these teams need leaders to encourage proper communication and performance.
To sum up, it is possible to note that artificial intelligence applications can considerably improve the healthcare system. AI can help process patients’ data and develop the correct diagnosis and treatment patterns. At the same time, AI applications can help healthcare professionals gain authority and win the trust of patients, which will favorably affect the development of the relationship between the stakeholders. AI can also help practitioners, as well as other healthcare professionals, obtain the necessary leadership skills. Admittedly, effective AI applications to address these goals are yet to be developed and examined. It is also necessary to develop proper patterns to apply AI in everyday healthcare settings. However, existing applications justify assumptions that AI has great potential in the healthcare field. Of course, people should not rely on technology. Nonetheless, a combination of healthcare professionals’ skills and experience and AI applications efficacy can lead to remarkable advances in healthcare.
References
Luxton, DD, ‘Artificial intelligence in mental healthcare’, Armed with Science, 2013. Web.
Maglogiannis, I, ‘Introducing intelligence in electronic healthcare systems: state of the art and future trends’ in M Bramer (ed.), Artificial intelligence: an international perspective, Springer, Portsmouth, 2009, pp. 71-90.
Maglogiannis, I, ‘Part III: intelligent applications in ehealth’ in I Maglogiannis (ed.), Emerging artificial intelligence applications in computer engineering: real word AI systems with applications in ehealth, HCI, information retrieval and pervasive technologies, IOS Press, Lancaster, 2007, pp. 193-195.
Mearian, L, ‘AI found better than doctors at diagnosing, treating patients’,Healthcare IT, 2013. Web.
Tsevas, S, DK Iakovidis & G Papamichalis, ‘Mining patterns of lung infections in chest radiographs’ in L Iliadis, I Vlahavas, & M Bramer (eds.), Artificial intelligence applications and innovations III, Springer, Boston, 2009, pp. 205-214.