AI is rising fast in every industry, rapidly playing bigger roles in various aspects of planning, analytics and production.
The Application of AI in the Health Sector
As it becomes better and better at doing what humans do – or approximating those functions – it is employed in ever more innovative ways. The healthcare technology industry is no exception, with AI being used in almost every key area, including:
1. Early Detection of Diseases
AI is already being used very effectively in the early detection of cancer. This is leading to a massive boost in the accuracy of a cancer diagnosis. It works both for positive and negative diagnoses. The American Cancer Society once noted that the readings of mammograms tended to have only 50% accuracy, meaning that healthy women would often be diagnosed with breast cancer. With the use of new AI interpretation methods, this margin has now increased to 99% accuracy. Wearables and other tech devices are starting to do the work that previously required both a mammogram and a biopsy – and with far more accuracy.
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2. Advanced Diagnostics
IBM’s Watson for Health and Google’s DeepMind Health, among other new developments, are helping with diagnosis processes by accessing and interpreting vast amounts of medical data in order to draw diagnostic conclusions. Since AI is able to process so much information much faster than humans, it can quickly and reliably reach conclusions and make treatment suggestions.
3. Treatment
AI can help medical practitioners coordinate care plans and treatment procedures to allow for more accurate and effective responses to diseases, injuries and chronic conditions. There are even robots in use that have the ability to execute surgical procedures by themselves. There are also machines being used successfully in labs and hospitals and physio, among other things.
4. End-of-life Care
Robots could even help make the elderly happier and more comfortable in the final years of their lives. They can treat ailments, maintain independent living and reduce the need for hospitalisation and care homes. They can even be used to interact with seniors so as to keep their minds active and sharp.
5. Research Insight
AIs are already being deployed in labs around the world to test and aid in the development of drugs. This seems likely to drastically reduce the costs of drug research too. It’s known to be a massively expensive process and millions are often spent in developing medications that never make it to market. The deployment of AI is set to reduce this sunk cost significantly.
Explore Tomorrow’s Medical Devices, Today
These are only some of the areas in which AI is making a significant impact. Although the technology is being used more and more in the medical sector, the surface has barely been scratched in terms of what robots and computers are capable of doing. It is certainly exciting for dealers in professional healthcare solutions, like Glenmed, to see how the technology will develop. Contact us for any questions you may have regarding medical technology.