Explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform healthcare, aiding physicians in diagnoses, personalised treatment, administrative tasks, and ultimately enhancing patient care and outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As the term "artificial intelligence" (AI) becomes more and more associated with the healthcare industry, as a doctor, you may have experienced a subtle disquiet that raises questions about the future of medicine and the place of human knowledge. This future isn't too far off, given the increased hype around ChatGPT, large language models (LLMs), and other AI technologies.

Unquestionably, artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the medical world by storm. Physicians should start learning about artificial intelligence (AI) immediately since it is quickly taking over the field of medicine. Knowing both the technology's promise and its limits will be essential to giving their patients the best treatment possible.

The ordinary doctor has to make a lot of quick, high-stakes judgments every day. For example, radiologists have to make a choice every minute or so on anything from the diagnosis of a little aneurysm to a breast cancer that is hardly noticeable.

Primary care physicians visit patients with significant health issues that need diagnosis and treatment, as well as the synthesis of lab, imaging, and other test data, as well as the creation of patient notes and follow-up. In addition to taking in and evaluating all of this background data, surgeons and medical physician experts also undertake operations that call for them to quickly change course and address an issue.

As many imaging exams, laboratories, and other tests turn out to be normal, and as many patients' complaints turn out not to be significant, the doctor's role also includes assuring healthy patients and promptly identifying those who need assistance. This entails quickly differentiating between the two. These are no less than high-stakes judgments, affecting millions of people annually and perhaps determining life or death.

AI could help with data overload comprehension

Let's think about how AI can improve medical practice. The capacity of AI to quickly and efficiently sort through enormous volumes of data is one important area in which it excels. Physicians who possess the ability to interpret large amounts of data may see patterns and trends more rapidly than they could otherwise.

For example, AI algorithms have shown to be very accurate in the diagnosis of a range of medical disorders using pictures from dermatology, retinal scans, and medical imaging. AI-driven diagnostic tools are expected to advance further in the future and be able to enable diagnosis under a variety of circumstances. Physicians may make better judgments and eventually improve patient outcomes by using AI's diagnostic skills.

AI may also assist medical professionals in staying current with medical research, which is essential considering the enormous and constantly expanding corpus of medical information. AI may ensure that physicians are giving their patients the best care possible by promptly summarising and evaluating new research results. This allows clinicians to stay up to date on the newest advancements and treatment alternatives.

AI in customised healthcare

Better patient outcomes may result from the use of AI in medicine. Personalised treatment regimens based on each patient's distinct genetic profile, medical history, and lifestyle characteristics may be provided by doctors with the use of AI, which optimises therapeutic interventions and improves overall clinical results. With the use of this information, AI can assist medical professionals in making the best recommendations, identifying possible side effects, and predicting how a patient could react to certain therapies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise preventative medicine by identifying individuals who are more susceptible to specific illnesses and enabling early treatments.

Wearables with AI capabilities, for instance, may track vital signs and identify anomalies, warning physicians and patients of possible problems before they become serious. Early identification and intervention have the potential to improve treatment outcomes and, in some situations, even save lives.

Utilising AI to automate "the boring stuff"

1. Finally, by automating administrative processes and freeing up time for physicians to interact more deeply with their patients, AI may improve the doctor-patient connection.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) frees up doctors' time to concentrate on what really matters—building relationships with patients, comprehending their problems, and providing compassionate care—by automating time-consuming processes like invoicing, arranging appointments, and paperwork.
3. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots and virtual assistants may aid in addressing patients' queries and worries outside of scheduled consultations, enabling physicians to provide ongoing assistance and enhance patient engagement.
4. AI may strengthen physician-patient interactions, which are critical for effective treatment results, by improving trust and communication.

AI will assist in restoring the human element

Healthcare still requires a human touch and the capacity to relate to and sympathise with patients on a personal basis. Though it may seem illogical, I think AI will actually assist medical professionals in returning to the more humane aspects of their practice. Doctors may now spend more time talking with patients rather than the computer since the more technical and administrative parts of medicine have been automated.

Disclaimer- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of M3 India.

About the author of this article: Dr Monish Raut is a practising super specialist from New Delhi.