The Future is Now: AI’s Impact on Healthcare
The healthcare industry is based upon four major pillars, the “quadruple aim” (3). These four principles are how to improve population health, the caregiver’s experience, the patient’s experience, and how to reduce the cost of care. Around the world, governments and private institutions are challenged to reach the desirable standard on all fronts. That is precisely why there needs to be new ways to create models for healthcare delivery.
Artificial intelligence is a new approach to solving many of the industry’s difficulties. This technology has seen a drastic rise over the past couple of years and for a reason. AI’s presence in the healthcare market in 2021 was only $11 billion, while in 2023, only two years later, it had already reached 20.6 billion, doubling in size (1). There is a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence predicted for the future, too. According to Statista, by 2030, the estimated market share for AI in healthcare is $188 billion. The economic impact of this cutting-edge technology in healthcare is plain to see, but we need to understand better how it is happening to be a part of it.
What is AI in healthcare?
Artificial intelligence is a broader term that covers a couple of other technologies. Some of these technologies are more widespread in healthcare as a whole:
- Machine learning (ML) is based on providing computer programs with large amounts of information, such as health records. This information is used to extrapolate data, resulting in better future predictions.
- Deep learning is a special type of machine learning that tries to mimic the structure of the brain to learn how to accomplish various tasks.
- Natural language processing (NLP) is used to understand human language. In healthcare, this is used to interpret reports, research, documentation, and more.
- Robotic process automation (RPA). The automation of processes like the organization of paperwork or the efficient management of appointments is what makes RPA improve the workflow in any healthcare facility.
These technologies, or a combination of them, are used to accomplish what is viewed as AI. But what exactly can we improve with them in the healthcare industry?
The benefits of the new wave of AI in healthcare
Artificial intelligence has proven to hold a lot of merit in improving any industry. There are, however, many ways it can help in healthcare as well. We want to take a look at some of the fields of healthcare where artificial intelligence has truly been an innovation worth mentioning. Here we mention a few examples of AI in healthcare when it comes to improving population health and the whole patient experience:
AI in digital healthcare
Digital health has seen a fast rise over the past couple of years, especially during and after the pandemic. The number of health apps available on iOS was counted to be around 54,000 in 2021 alone (2). The influence of AI in this field has not been a surprise in improving the numbers or the impact in the industry.
The field of digital health has a lot of different branches to explore and a lot of different ways to use technology to improve patient care. Personalized medicine is one big step in the right direction when it comes to digital health. AI allows for large amounts of data, such as patient histories, to be analyzed and individual treatment plans and diagnoses to be created for better outcomes and improved patient experience.
Additionally, AI can also be of great assistance to patients when talking about remote monitoring. Medical devices powered by artificial intelligence can keep track of vitals like heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels through specific sensors. This information can be processed by the systems and if something is not right, AI can contact a healthcare provider for assistance.
Such technology applications would be nothing without integrating them with conversational AI in healthcare. Such virtual assistants provide patients with essential basics:
- personalized health information
- symptom triage
- medication reminders
Virtual health assistants improve patient engagement with treatment plans exponentially. Having AI enhancing them also allows people to interact more easily with such technologies and have a generally more positive experience with the healthcare system.
AI in diagnostics and treatment optimization
With the application of new technologies like AI chatbots in healthcare and telemedicine, there is also the need to discuss how in-person treatment is improved. The process of diagnosing patients and creating treatment plans can be enhanced exponentially by utilizing the processing power of AI technologies and their large databases of case studies and patient records.
One prime example is the improvement of medical imaging. Giving an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan to a computer powered by AI can greatly increase the accuracy of the reading, expedite patient diagnoses, and reduce human errors. This faster analysis is thanks to the thousands of cases that large language models have at their disposal.
Furthermore, early disease detection is another amazing aspect of artificial intelligence. This is accomplished through advanced diagnostic tools that can detect diseases at an early stage. The AI identifies subtle patterns and abnormalities in medical data gathered through patient health records and biomarkers. Early detection vastly improves patient outcomes since it provides a stable foothold for timely intervention.
The treatment plans can also be optimized by this methodology since the AI can see all prior patient data and make decisions based on that and the current condition. As a result, having better treatment and faster intervention is a factor in improving the population’s health.
Conclusion
There is still much potential in AI that needs to be tapped. As mentioned before, a better understanding of how AI functions and its benefits in the industry is the most efficient way to advance and satisfy the four pillars of healthcare.
Naturally, many regulations guide the use of AI, especially in healthcare. One such is the AI Act of April 2021, proposed by The European Commission as part of its broader approach to artificial intelligence. That is why having an experienced partner in healthcare software development can help navigate the regulatory landscape.
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Sources:
- In 2021, the healthcare market’s artificial intelligence (AI) was worth around 11 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. – (1)
- In 2020, the number of mHealth apps available to iOS users kept growing, and in the first quarter of 2021, it reached its peak of almost 54,000 apps. – (2)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8285156/
- https://www.coursera.org/articles/ai-in-health-care
- https://www.who.int/news/item/28-06-2021-who-issues-first-global-report-on-ai-in-health-and-six-guiding-principles-for-its-design-and-use
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/transforming-healthcare-with-ai
- https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/healthy-aging/ai-in-healthcare-the-future-of-patient-care-and-health-management/
