AI IS THE FUTURE OF MEDICAL CARE, ARAB HEALTH TOLD

▶ Expert says technology is changing the industry

Artificial intelligence and the efficient collection and handling of patient data are shaping health care systems of the future, a medical technologist has said.

Experts at Arab Health, the region’s largest medical conference, heard how data would allow more hospitals to automate their work.

Technology is becoming more adept at analysis, delegates at the event at Dubai World Trade Centre were told, and medical staff should be free to spend more time on the front line delivering care with a human touch.

Dr Alan Kennedy, founder of PulseAI, a digital health company in Northern Ireland that uses machine learning to improve diagnosis, said technology was changing the face of healthcare delivery.

“The dream is that in the near future, people won’t have to go to the hospital or GP clinic as they can be remotely monitored in their home,” he said.

“The tools are there, like wearable biometric devices, watches and rings that collect data, but the challenge is having good enough artificial intelligence software for accurate analysis.”

Dr Kennedy said the value came from improved efficiency, so radiologists and doctors did not have to wade through large amounts of printed data to diagnose a condition.

Cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer remain the most common causes of death, and there are advanced AI algorithms capable of quickly providing an accurate assessment of patient risk.

As advanced screening and diagnostic technology becomes more widespread, the amount of data generated has increased.

PulseAI is licensed by smart device manufacturers and integrated into everyday wearable devices to help users to understand vitals such as their heart health.

Last year, a study found that about a third of adults in the US wear health monitoring devices and a boom in remote care is on the way.

During its research, PulseAI evaluated more than a million electrocardiograms from people in seven countries, each annotated by a cardiologist or emergency physician, to compare results with those analysed by its AI algorithm.

By using the software, the number of inconclusive reports could be cut from about 20 per cent to 1 per cent, it said.

“Studies show continuous monitoring is the most effective form of diagnosis,” Dr Kennedy said. “Patients get a better quality of surveillance, and then earlier treatment with better outcomes. AI will

free up time for medical professionals to spend elsewhere, particularly in cardiology and radiology.”

Advanced AI algorithms can provide users with a more accurate reading of their risk from heart disease, particularly if they are facing a heart attack or an irregular heartbeat.

Wearable technology not only helps users if they face a medical emergency, but can also identify a condition before it becomes a problem.

AI proved its worth in health care during the pandemic, as it learnt how best to disinfect public areas, deliver packages and predict how fast the virus was spreading, to manage the flow of people.

Algorithms are now so advanced they can track breathing rates and a patient’s cough to diagnose disease.

Other trends set to appear in healthcare systems centre around stress, the growth of medical tourism and more emphasis on well-being technologies and preventive care.

As health technology in the form of wearable devices, smartphone apps and digital health data continues to penetrate our lives, AI will continue to fundamentally change health care of the future.

With about 70 per cent of healthcare firms across Europe and the US already using AI to automate work, the importance of human-machine collaboration has never been more apparent, according to Kevin Lev from the healthcare informatics division of Philips.

“Doctors who embrace artificial intelligence in radiology and elsewhere will ultimately perform better than those who don’t,” he said.

“Radiologists are often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data they have.

“It is a bad use of their time to go over scores of regulation chest X-rays that could take up 70 per cent of their work.

“That can be covered by AI, to rule out potential disease and provide a better insight for more complicated cases that require further investigation.

“Three years ago physicians would have been concerned that AI could replace them.

“Now they are seeing the opportunities that are created to make their work more efficient.”