The Potential Uses of AI in healthcare
Imagine a world where doctors can instantly diagnose diseases, predict patient outcomes with high accuracy, and personalize treatment plans all through the power of technology. This is the promise of AI in healthcare.
The new use of AI in healthcare has sparked debates across the globe with concerns about its ethical implications and the future of human involvement in the decision-making process especially when it comes to empathetic responses. Despite these concerns, AI is an extremely useful tool that can bring us further in the fields of medicine and healthcare, saving us time, money, and lives along the way. Through AIs ability to quickly analyze vast amounts of data, make predictions, and assist in decision making, it offers a revolutionary way to diagnose, treat, and manage diseases. Although many argue that AI in healthcare is unethical due to its potential to replace human jobs and make life altering decisions without human empathy, these concerns pale in comparison to AIs ability to save countless lives.
Data Analysis and New Advancements
As we can see AI is a very useful tool, and it is important to identify the ways in which this tool can be used. Some examples of its use include in Diagnostics, cancer treatment, care for patients with strokes, care for epileptic patients, complex measurements, and even managing tasks and patient services. For example, in the future AI would be able to give an early diagnosis, then assist the doctor in curing the disease, and then continue to assist the patient and give care afterwards to manage the disease.
AI is also capable of quickly analyzing vast amounts of data, allowing for quicker analyzation, a more accurate approach, and the ability to identify patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. Along with improving patient outcomes and reducing the risk of errors, AI can also be used to create new medicines as seen in this statement “Already, healthcare providers, surgeons and researchers are using AI to develop new drugs and treatments, diagnose complex conditions more efficiently and improve patients’ access to critical care — and this is only the beginning” (Cleveland Clinic). This quote shows how AI is already in use, and how it can continue to build upon its current understanding to improve and come up with new solutions to medical problems.
Time Saver
As explained in previous statements, AI can help us in numerous ways including saving time and money. This is important as these resources can then be allocated to other means, causing a domino effect that can lead to more improvements down the line. “It’s not all or nothing. It’s a process that happens over time,” explains Dr. Chen. “The problem is that that timeframe is measured in minutes. Every minute that a patient doesn’t receive care or doesn’t receive intervention, a little bit more of their brain becomes irreversibly damaged” (Cleveland Clinic). In these moments it is important to get accurate information quickly, and this is where AI shines. Furthermore, in terms of long-term improvements AI can help identify trends in patient data over time, allowing for better diagnosis, as well as reducing wait times, saving doctors time which would let them treat more patients. This boost in time and money can lead to cheaper healthcare, or even free healthcare for patients in need.
Counterarguments
There are two main opposing arguments to AI in healthcare, the first is the potential mistakes that an AI can make that could cause extreme complications. To this the answer is simple, the professional is using AI as a tool, not a replacement for their brain, therefore, the specialist can double check the AI’s answer before implementing its suggested solution. While AI can make mistakes, humans can as well, and checking someone’s work is much faster than doing the work yourself (it is also more accurate), therefore this counterargument is invalid. Furthermore, as AI encounters more situations, just like humans, it can learn from them. As an example, an Ai that has gone through multiple surgeries for a broken bone, can be more accurate with its analysis in other surgeries down the line.
The other opposing argument is the absence of an emotional bond between patient and doctor. While AI can be used for doctor-patient interactions, often times it is used more for the back end of healthcare, making problems obsolete. Additionally, even in scenarios where AI interacts with patients, it does not have to replace human connection but rather enhance it. By handling administrative tasks, analyzing data, and assisting with diagnostics, AI allows doctors to spend more time focusing on patient care and building meaningful relationships.
Overall, the use of AI in healthcare can save time, money, and lives all at the same time by streamlining processes, improving diagnoses, and enabling more personalized treatments.
Sources
“How AI Is Being Used to Benefit Your Healthcare.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 11 Sept. 2024, health.clevelandclinic.org/ai-in-healthcare.
Cordero, Dalmacito. “The Downsides of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.” The Korean Journal of Pain, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2024, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10764219/.
Kadaei, Mousa. “Why Should Ai Not Be Used in Healthcare.” Ambula Healthcare, 22 Feb. 2024, www.ambula.io/why-should-ai-not-be-used-in-healthcare/.