ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MEDICAL SERVICES
Today, medical services throughout the world are facing a crisis – a serious shortage of doctors. Both poorer and richer nations are affected, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the situation is expected to get worse. In the future, however, advances in computer technology may ensure high-quality medical care even with fewer doctors. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already providing several important medical services, and eventually it could take over many other roles in medicine.(lines 1–6)
Use of computer technology in hospitals began about 50 years ago, when several major American health institutes started storing the medical records of their patients on computers. At that time, the technology was extremely expensive, but since then it has become more affordable. Today, electronic health records (EHRs) have replaced paper records in most large hospitals throughout the world. This makes accessing and updating patient information much easier for doctors.(lines 7–12)
The data in electronic health records has proved to be useful in various ways. Recently, this data has been used to train AI to analyze medical images, such as X-rays and MRIs. Now AI is widely used to do the analysis and write medical reports that include details on anything that does not look normal in the images. "All this is done in seconds," says medical journalist William Harrison. "Doctors check the reports to make sure they are correct; they also provide the final diagnosis."(lines 13–18)
Over the past decade, AI has also been used in the development of chatbots that can have conversations with patients online. Medical chatbots are widely used to do routine tasks such as arranging dates for medical tests. Moreover, there are now advanced chatbots that doctors can provide with details about specific patients. Those patients can go online and discuss their illness with the chatbot. For example, they might ask it questions about their treatment or inform it of changes in their symptoms. If a patient reports any serious change in their health, the chatbot passes that information to their doctor. As a result, that patient can quickly get medical treatment.(lines 19–25)
And how do the patients themselves regard the use of AI in medicine? Surveys have shown that most patients are happy for chatbots to do the routine tasks. A large majority also feel the same way about AI analyzing medical images. Furthermore, most patients who had discussions with medical chatbots said they were satisfied with the experience. However, almost all patients wanted a doctor to decide what treatment they should receive.(lines 26–30)
But will AI eventually take over everything that doctors do? Harrison does not think so. "Many patients will never have total confidence in AI. And of course, there will always be a need for experienced doctors to deal with complex cases," he says. "But expanding the use of AI in medicine will make a big difference. AI will do many tasks that are currently done by doctors. This will enable them to treat more sick people and to spend more time with each patient."(lines 31–35)