AI set to revolutionise healthcare
ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) will lead to vast changes in healthcare, including enhanced diagnostics, personalised medicine, drug discovery, treatment development and more efficient administration.
It’s no secret that AI can perform tasks faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost.
It was recently reported that hospitals in Singapore may soon be using AI to assess patients in emergency departments to determine which patients need treatment first.
But what about Malaysia? Health Ministry’s senior principal assistant director Dr Mohamad Fadli Kharie says he’s optimistic about the use of AI and its potential in healthcare.
At the moment, AI in Malaysian healthcare is in its early stages, he says, but with continued investment and focus on overcoming challenges, it’s poised for significant growth in the coming years.
While some Malaysian hospitals are utilising AI for tasks like analysing medical images or streamlining administrative processes, it’s not yet widespread.
“The government recognises AI’s potential and is taking steps to promote its adoption. Grants and resources have been allocated to encourage adoption of AI in healthcare.”
However, several factors hinder wider adoption. These include concerns over data privacy, the cost of implementing AI solutions, and the need for robust infrastructure to support AI applications.
FASTEr DIAGNOSIS
Dr Fadli says AI algorithms can analyse patterns in medical scans such as CT scans, X-rays and MRIs with far greater speed and accuracy, potentially leading to earlier and more precise diagnoses. This translates to quicker treatment, improved patient outcomes and even saves lives. AI can also analyse a patient’s unique medical history, genetic make-up and lifestyle to predict their risk for certain diseases.
This allows for the creation of personalised treatment plans, where care is tailored to the individual.
This shift towards personalised medicine holds immense promise for preventative care and more effective treatment strategies, explains Dr Fadli.
AI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants can also offer initial mental health assessments and provide basic support, particularly in areas with limited access to mental health professionals, he adds.
AI can also accelerate the process of drug discovery by analysing vast datasets of molecular structures, genomic data and identifying potential drug candidates.
SPEEDING UP TASKS
Administrative efficiency is one of the key benefits of AI.
“Through generative AI, chatbots can handle routine tasks like scheduling appointments and answering basic patient questions, freeing up healthcare professionals to focus on complex cases. This can improve clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction,” says Dr Fadli.
But perhaps the most transformative aspect of AI in healthcare is data analytics. AI excels at analysing enormous volumes of health datasets from electronic health records, medical research and wearable devices.
By identifying patterns and trends in this data, AI can predict disease spread, health hazards and optimise resource allocation.