How Artificial Intelligence is adding value to the Healthcare sector

The word intelligence is derived from the Latin word intelligere, which means “to understand”. In general terms, it is related to “one’s ability to understand things” or “the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”.

Intelligence can be broadly categorised into two forms, natural intelligence and artificial intelligence. Native or natural intelligence is also known as biological intelligence is organic in nature & confined to the human brain. Natural intelligence is a product of experience which can provide unique solutions and ideas for every new situation.  

Artificial Intelligence or (machine intelligence) on the other hand, are high-end software-based programmes, commonly implemented in computer systems, robots, machines and specialized hardware etc. that can mimic human behaviour. The AI in practice today is derived from different fields of study like probability, mathematics, optimization & logic, computer science, psychology, control theory, information technology, operations research, linguistics and cognitive science etc. AI is an essential part of most of the technology-related fields & it is rapidly expanding to other industries and sectors. Artificial intelligence-based systems are tasks specific & only provide a set result for the predefined situation.

AI in the healthcare space

The AI-based healthcare system can transform the industry through time-saving and cost-effective methods. AI has many applications in the field of medical science like patient engagement, predicting hospital readmission, treatment recommendation, diagnosis, accurate cancer detection, and in other administrative activities.

The AI can assist the doctor in finding the right treatment for the disease. The AI-based models are free from any biases & have a high speed of execution. There are various studies which suggested that there are many fields in healthcare where AI has outperformed human intelligence like in case of diagnosis. It is not wrong to say that the efficiency of lab testing is undoubtedly high and requires a shorter turnaround time with Artificial Intelligence. Medical images, such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI scan, are used vastly to diagnose a variety of diseases. 

Moreover, with AI, managing any patient’s medical record and study family pedigree tree to get a clear picture of diseases especially if they are genetic. 

However, everything has its pros and cons too. Likewise, AI has some concerns too, like privacy issues, patient safety concerns, and biased algorithms that may skew the accuracy and reliability of the result, and patient perception etc.

What Next

The use of AI application is expected to surge in the upcoming years, thus can bring change in the society. These systems are capable of boosting economic growth. With the advancement, the AI can provide affordable treatment and diagnosis to the people, which is at the initial stage at the moment.