With the advent of AI, Big data, and IoT technologies, healthcare has become more effective and accessible. “We have not yet reached the maximum potential of technology-powered healthcare, as research is still going on in these fields.”, said Bahaa Al Zubaidi.
Today our healthcare system can collapse rapidly if put under heavy pressure e.g. a pandemic. AI has the power to predict critical possibilities by processing loads of data from a variety of sources. This can give rise to a future where diagnosis happens in real-time and predictive care becomes the norm.
Predictive Healthcare through AI
AI can use multiple data points to give insights regarding our health and how will it affect us in the days ahead. Some of these data points could be – what we eat, our sleep patterns, local air pollution levels, our physical activity levels, how quickly we recover from a common cold, etc.
By doing this, common diseases like diabetes, COPD, heart failure, and degenerative diseases can be predicted. These health issues are now showing a downward trend because of AI-infused predictive analytics in developing countries. Chronic diseases will account for over 70% of deaths by 2030 globally and would have a disproportionate impact on developing countries like Brazil, Bangladesh, Colombia, etc.
Smart Hospitals Providing Real-time Care
By deploying a streamlined digital infrastructure, hospitals can provide healthcare services to any other part of the world. People can get treatment in the comfort of their houses. Bottlenecks will soon become a thing of the past, as hospitals embrace centralized command hubs to analyze data in real-time. AI systems would help prioritize treatment based on sickness level among patients and they will receive personalized care.
A Better Experience for Patients
AI-infused predictive healthcare can also cut down wait times, improve staff productivity and make administrative services more efficient. This would not only result in a better experience for patients but also improve health outcomes. It can also help prevent staff shortages and burnout to an extent. Overall, it would ensure the financial lucidity of the system.
What is the Reality?
A lot needs to be done at this time if we want to reap the benefits of AI healthcare in the future. Governments as well as private organizations must understand the benefit of such a system and invest in AI research aimed at predictive healthcare. AI systems should be transparent and free of prejudice. The technology should also be open source so that no single company holds a monopoly on the market. Furthermore, personal and sensitive data should be tackled with privacy-preserving tools to avoid misuse by perpetrators.
Conclusion
A lot of people still cannot access quality healthcare due to many socio-economic factors. AI-based predictive systems can help democratize healthcare, making it more accessible to people. Ethical challenges regarding data ownership, privacy & security remain, however. Once these issues are resolved gradually, we can expect higher life expectancy in people all around the world.
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