Healthcare, with its focus on time-critical patient care, is a prime area for innovation. With more than than 7,000 rare diseases existing today, did you know only 5 percent of those are treatable?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical research and patient care has been a game-changer for the health industry. With so much information floating around, AI makes sense of it all and retrieves the relevant information in nanoseconds.
This has helped streamline patient management and automate myriad tasks associated with healthcare protocol. The pharma industry has got a shot in the arm with AI-powered research, and disease diagnoses are now faster. Read on to learn more about AI in healthcare.
Artificial Intelligence as the Doctor’s Assistant
Serpentine queues outside the doctor’s door are a thing of the past. Now, you can register for a consultation ahead of the visit. At the hospital, AI technology helps the doctor take notes while you get yourself checked. All your past and present records are available at the touch of a button.
AI-powered robots now assist in surgeries. While this may sound a bit daunting at first. It can be oddly reassuring to know about the scientific precision of a robotic arm, which stands very less chance of error.
Wearable Technology Is a GameChanger
Physicians use wearable technology to monitor patients in real-time. Wearable devices can be attached to shoes, eyeglasses, earrings, clothing, and watches. These have built-in sensors that track your heart rhythm, blood pressure, glucose levels, and physical activity.
Wearable tech has proven to be a boom for elderly patient healthcare. These devices can help monitor the gait of old people and predict the probability of falls, chronic diseases, and other health issues.
As a result, the population of elderly people above the age of 65 years is expected to double in the next 40 years.
AI Helps in Faster Diagnoses
The current Coronavirus pandemic is a grim reminder that diseases mutate over time. Healthcare professionals are constantly racing to stay ahead of the curve. That’s where artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms make it easier to sift through the vast amounts of data inflow.
Today, AI is helping in the diagnoses of diseases by culling only the relevant data from a sea of information. It can also suggest possible diagnoses for a range of diseases in lesser time. As a result, treatment can be started earlier, which can increase the chances of successful recovery.
AI in the Pharma Industry
Did you know that manufacturing a new drug and putting it through a clinical trial can cost as much as $2.6 billion? It takes thousands of man-hours to conduct the research. Even then, only 10% of these drugs finally make it to the market.
There are billions of data sets online. The challenge till now has been to link this information to help provide answers that can help better lives globally. AI is helping us do just that. It can sort through millions of data points and analyze a wider range of parameters to help identify the right treatment.
AI can find new links between chemicals in the human body that can help in rare disease research. As this technology is being utilized to identify newer drugs, there is hope now for patients with diseases, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and even Ebola.
Conclusion
Healthcare and science are always finding new ways to grow and get better. Artificial Intelligence is a new technology that is innovating the way we handle healthcare in the world today. These advancements will continue to grow and change, and something new will be innovated in the near future.
