MIT Technology Review Insights, in association with GE Healthcare, recently released the findings of a survey of more than 900 healthcare professionals, revealing the ways in which artificial intelligence is already being used in the healthcare sector.
Nearly 80% of respondents expect to increase their budgets for AI applications in 2020. Today, the key areas in which AI is already being deployed include: (1) AI for patient flow optimization; (2) medical imaging and diagnostics; (3) automation of electronic health records through natural language processing tools; (4) AI for predictive analytics; and (5) patient data and risk analysis. In terms of outcomes, 78% of medical staff report that AI deployments have already improved workflows, reducing time spent on mundane administrative tasks and thereby freeing up more time for procedures and patient interactions.
Even more importantly, AI is reducing clinical errors, and 75% of medical staff using AI agree that the technology has improved disease treatment forecasting.
AI is transforming the healthcare system as we know it, touching everything from diagnostics to drug discovery. Following the introduction of "smart" patient scheduling tools, the number of patients seen by physicians per day has been maximized.
AI is also helping to optimize appointment outcomes. Typically, medical professionals spend 10% of their working week entering or updating electronic health records. As AI begins to systematize these repetitive tasks, physicians are freed up to devote more time to procedures and patient relationships.
Applying AI algorithms to medical imaging has also already improved clinical decision-making. For reference, surveyed physicians who have not yet adopted AI report clinical error as their primary challenge two-thirds of the time — more than double the rate among those who have adopted AI tools.
Looking ahead, physicians and healthcare professionals are expected to continue collaborating with machines, leveraging comprehensive AI-mediated datasets to make critical medical decisions. As an invaluable new partner, AI is helping doctors focus on what they do best, contributing to the humanization of the healthcare sector and the improvement of the patient experience.
Text by Peter Diamandis