Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Our Next Great Innovation, Part III - AIs Use in the Future of Healthcare

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Our Next Great Innovation, Part III - AIs Use in the Future of Healthcare Posted By:
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During the first and second posts on artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare, I explored AI’s broad definitions and early uses. I also discussed the potential implications and human factors of this advanced technology. In the second post, specifically, I discussed the healthcare arena and its impact on the daily practices of medicine. Finally, in this third installment, I discuss how the use of AI has the potential to increase exponentially during a short period of time. The boundaries in which we use AI are still unknown and, as technology continues to develop rapidly, so will AI’s impact on every step of the way. 

In January 2024, a company founded by Elon Musk and named Neuralink inserted the first ever microchip that could send messages into a person’s brain, allowing an otherwise paralyzed adult the ability to move a mouse by sending transmitted signals from their brain to the Neuralink chip. This incredible breakthrough in technology is on the precipice of where AI can lead healthcare in the coming decades. In our current state, AI is all around us—electronic health records, robotic surgery, and pharmacy dispensing computers are ubiquitous within most of the healthcare system. Although the Neuralink technology is in its infancy and has only been administered to 1 patient, the idea that this AI exists and can be enhanced over the coming years is very promising. At its core, this technology is a prime example of where AI can take us.

Will AI Replace or Enhance HCPs and Healthcare Delivery?
The real question involves understanding the boundaries of where AI can aid in improving healthcare without causing harm. Generative AI, for example, can “think for itself ” and provide information rapidly, which would normally take humans longer to compute. However, early trials of this technology have shown weaknesses that reduce the quality of what is being produced. A looming and remaining question involves the use of AI within the continually evolving, highly educated and trained workforce. Rather than assuming AI will take over a large portion of daily activities in healthcare, many believe that it will enhance healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) ability to practice at their highest level and deliver a higher quality of care with safety in mind. It is incumbent upon every HCP to consider these new advances and determine how it best fits within their practice. Although some healthcare systems implement high levels of AI in many modalities (radiology, cardiovascular technology, electronic health records, and ultrasonography), human decision-making still precedes these advancements.

From a systems aspect, AI is effective in streamlining multiple sectors within healthcare. Supply chain technology, quality improvement and safety measures, and intelligent scheduling and efficiency are just a few ways that AI can improve healthcare delivery. In the future, more enhancements in areas like reimbursement, improved technology and operating rooms, and out-of-hospital enhancements in patient care will continue to develop. Larger data sets of patient outcomes and disease states can enhance the quality of care delivered regardless of location. AI can continue to enhance remote healthcare delivery systems, narrowing the gap in patient access to critically needed infrastructure within the system.

Looking at the consumer and user interface, patients will have enhanced access and the ability to increase their health and wellness knowledge and to navigate a traditionally difficult healthcare system. User interfaces with on-the-spot responses to everyday needs and requirements can enhance patient satisfaction and delivery of services. Testing, interpreting, and delivering pharmaceutical and durable goods will only improve efficiency as greater advancements in AI occur. For individuals with mobility issues and limitations, AI will no doubt improve in this arena as well. Imagine technology that one day will allow individuals who are paralyzed to stand up, using a structure, and allow them to walk—freeing them from the bounds of wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. These advances are around the corner, and AI will continue to enhance these technologies in the coming years. In addition to these advancements, improvements in polypharmacy and polymodality types of diseases can improve and become more efficient for patients while increasing their usability, which in turn improves the system.

Where We Stand Today
Although AI has only been scratching the surface of the greater healthcare sector, rapid innovation is occurring. As HCPs, physician associates and nurse practitioners must stay updated on the advancements of AI and how it will affect their daily professional practice. As time progresses, more AI will creep into our daily lives, and we will be responsible for ensuring this technology is used wisely for all patients.

 


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Filed under: Neurology , Health Policy and Trends , Miscellaneous , NPs & PAs

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