Artificial Intelligence and Medical Technology: What’s Next?
Artificial intelligence is the future in a number of different industries and just one of those is medical technology. While computers will never replace humans, for some tasks they are well suited and enhance the patient experience. However, it goes far beyond that.
As there is a larger push for efficiency in healthcare, artificial and medical technology will make the industry leaner, creating new possibilities for saving money and even survival in a time of narrow profit margins and increased government regulation.
AI also offers possibilities for the standardization of many processes across the industry. Many policies and procedures vary from practice to practice, and patients are often confused about both their rights and responsibilities when it comes to their own health and the security and accuracy of their own health records.
While the change to more automated systems and the use of AI has begun, there is still a long way to go when it comes to medical technology. What are the next innovations in this evolving field?
Medical Professional Training
Medical training is a huge expense, but thanks to things like augmented reality and artificial intelligence, professionals in various stages of medical training can now use computers and simulated scenarios previously not possible.
For instance, there are now augmented reality autopsy programs, mitigating the need for real cadavers for many parts of training. These virtual bodies can even be used to simulate and practice surgery and other procedures without a risk to an actual patient.
Other simulated medical scenarios, such as patient and family interactions, can be taught with virtual reality and augmented reality programs that also intelligently “respond” to the student. This virtual role playing allows students to learn anywhere, and saves valuable time in classrooms.
Patient Services and Screening with Chatbots
Chatbots are often thought of when it comes to customer service and customer screening from websites and in other consumer situations, but as AI spurs the rise and the acceptance of chatbots, they are sure to upend several aspects of medical treatment.
Just one of these aspects is patient services and initial screening. The reception process is often tedious at emergency rooms and doctor’s offices, and lines during busy times make them even more so. However, a chatbot can ask several of the same questions and record the answers in the same way that a human can, speeding up the process.
A part of this is also basic screening, and intelligent bots can also be used to walk patients through a set of questions about their symptoms, setting up nurses and doctors for appointments or deeper screening when needed.
Another area of interest is mental health, as the new Woebot, the world’s first mental health chatbot, just got over 8 million in funding. Since language is not a barrier when properly programmed, the bot could help with mental health counseling, or at the very least screening, worldwide.
In short, there are several ways chatbots are changing medical technology and they are driven by AI.
Privacy and Security
Besides healthcare, there are several ways chatbots are changing the world for good, including alerts in messenger and assisting with other vital services. One of these is privacy and security.
The reason is simple. AI and predictive analytics can detect a cyberattack, predict the pattern it will take, and work actively to defeat it at a much faster rate than humans. AI will learn with each attack, getting better and better at its job.
While AI does have applications in protecting your privacy and security, others worry about how the information it gathers is stored. At the same time that AI is protecting your information it is gathering it as well, and there are potential concerns.
This is an expanding area of development, but it is sure that AI will be a part of data defense in the future.
Robotic Surgery
While robots are not yet taking over surgery, AI is being used in robotic assisted microsurgery to mitigate variations between physician techniques. These variations often affect recovery time, and after successful AI-assisted surgeries in 2017, they are expected to rise even more in 2019.
Much like in early medical training, AI can help surgeons perform better, even the best of them. The practice is in its infancy, but due to big data and the millions of data points we have and are gathering about medical procedures and surgeries, robotic surgery using AI is just around the corner.
Applications besides microsurgery include videoscopic procedures and laser procedures. In the near future, a robot may be every surgeon’s second set of eyes and hands.
Emergency Management and Communication
When it comes to a disaster, medical care is the first priority. However, emergency management is often difficult, especially for facilities that are already busy, but AI can help. On the front lines, it can help first responders decide where to send patients so that they will get the quickest care, and even sort them by priority.
Sensors deployed at the scene can also tell hospitals what to expect and help them prepare even before patients arrive. The key to this again is the big data that is available to AI, and its ability to process it more quickly that a human brain.
In this case, learning can happen quickly, even during the event, as data comes in and is processed. Many startup companies are working to harness this power to make the aftermath of disasters more manageable.
AI is the next step in many areas of medical technology. What role it will play in some areas remains to be seen, but from training to robotic surgery and emergency management, the possibilities are endless.
