Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare, giving physicians and researchers new tools to diagnose and help patients. Healthcare systems across the globe are rapidly adopting new AI technology. From 2019 to 2021, the market for artificial intelligence in healthcare grew at a rate of 167.1%, and all indicators point to continued growth in the coming decade, with revenue estimated to reach $208.2 billion by 2030.
AI has vast and valuable applications in the healthcare space. Medical professionals are increasingly relying on intelligent technology to analyze images, support medicine development, monitor patients, forecast kidney disease, contribute to cancer research, assist staff, and much more.
Patient Monitoring Tech
Accurately monitoring patients can be challenging even in a well-staffed hospital setting, but many patients and elderly loved ones require remote monitoring while they are at home and moving through the world, which increases the need for innovative care solutions.
Non-wearable monitoring systems are changing the game for caregivers and physicians. One emerging solution, from Origin, uses patented WiFi Sensing technology to detect movement within a home. Origin’s AI Engine Fusion analyzes movements and contextualizes everything from breathing patterns to sudden movements. The AI is then able to provide caregivers with accurate updates. Crucially, if the system detects a fall, caregivers and emergency professionals are immediately contacted, cutting down on response times.
This technology, along with other patient monitoring tech, can be used to track a patient’s progress, helping medical professionals understand the daily patterns and activities of those they care for. In turn, this information allows providers to give more detailed and specific recommendations that support their patients’ needs.
In select cases, physicians are using AI patient monitoring and tracking tools to assess and detect symptoms, which can lead to earlier diagnosis of illnesses or detecting increased risk of injury or falling.
AI health tracking technology is also being sold directly to consumers, in the form of wearables and health apps. These encourage individuals to pursue and manage a healthy lifestyle, which can potentially cut down on doctor visits, leading to a healthier population overall. As health tracking tools grow in popularity, and as physicians begin to use their data more frequently, it is important to create a health monitoring ecosystem that links all patient monitoring together for a holistic view of a patient’s status and vitals.
Pattern Recognition, Image Analysis
AI offers medical professionals a pair of superhuman ‘eyes’. The technology is used to analyze medical images such as CT or MRI scans to recognize patterns and monitor disease progression.
AI’s deep learning algorithms can more quickly identify connections that the human eye might miss, enabling radiologists or cardiologists to diagnose patients accurately and prioritize critical cases.
Medical Data Analysis
One of the most common and important applications of AI in healthcare is its ability to analyze large data sets and pull out essential insights that support diagnoses, research, pharmaceutical development, and more.
AI works quickly, providing doctors with real-time analytics and accurate information that can accelerate critical clinical decision-making. Leveraging this, physicians can accelerate the time in which they are able to respond to medical issues, which can radically improve the quality (and speed) of care.
In the research setting, AI’s ability to analyze mountains of medical data can expedite discoveries, which could lead to significant breakthroughs in the near future.
Increased Time and Resources
AI automates some administrative tasks within the healthcare system—including pre-authorizing insurance, following up on unpaid bills, and managing patient records. By allocating these tasks to AI and machine learning systems, precious time and resources are freed up.
Not only does this shift have the potential to significantly lower costs for healthcare organizations (approximately 30% of which are made up of administrative costs), it will increase the productivity of medical physicians. Time and resources can be rightly dedicated to patient care rather than admin.
AI: Crucial to the Future of Healthcare
As time progresses, AI will become even more integrated into clinical settings and expand to most at-home care units. AI will soon be integral to all parts of the healthcare ecosystem, working hand in hand with medical professionals to deliver better care and improve our collective health.
