Robots better at diagnosing illnesses, study finds
ARTIFICIAL intelligence is better at diagnosing health problems than doctors, a study suggests.
Babylon, which provides some digital healthcare services for the NHS, achieved scores much higher than the exam pass rate of GPS.
The company, which uses chatbots to assess patients calling 111 in some areas, was put to the test by the Royal College of Physicians and the US universities of Stanford and Yale.
But GPS insisted they would never be replaced by robots, saying their “gut feeling” helped them care for patients.
Overall, Babylon achieved an 81 per cent score in the diagnosis exam set by the Royal College of General Practitioners. The average pass mark from the past five years is 72 per cent.
Its system was also tested against seven experienced GPS, who examined 100 hypothetical case studies. The safety of the artificial intelligence was 97 per cent. This compared favourably to the doctors, whose average was 93.1 per cent, according to the study, which was commissioned by Babylon.
Dr Ali Parsa, Babylon’s founder and chief executive, said: “Babylon’s latest artificial intelligence capabilities show it is possible for anyone, irrespective of their geography, wealth or circumstances, to have free access to health advice that is on-par with top-rated practising clinicians.”
The exam is the final test for trainee GPS and allows them to practise independently if they pass.
Prof Martin Marshall, vice chairman of the Royal College, said: “The potential of technology to support doctors to deliver the best possible patient care is fantastic but at the end of the day, computers are computers, and GPS are highly trained medical professionals – the two can’t be compared.
“Research has shown GPS have a ‘gut feeling’ when they just know something is wrong with a patient.” It was “dubious” to say Babylon’s algorithm performed better than human exam candidates, he said, as the research materials the firm used were for exams for which the pass marks are often lower. ♦ Doctors say patients are ogling them and posting pictures of them online while debating how “hot” they are.
A motion was passed for sanctions against patients who posted recordings of consultations online, during a debate at the British Medical Association’s annual conference.