How Ai is delivering transformational benefits in healthcare

The word “artificial intelligence” or Ai immediately connotes the future. It implies a world where machines converse with one another within an ecosystem that transforms the way we live and function in our day-to-day lives. Manufacturing robots, bot nurses, smart assistants, robotic vacuum machines, Alexa, Google Home, the list is endless. In short, Ai is becoming and will eventually become an integral part of our existence.

Ai in healthcare has made similar strides, helping to create a robust ecosystem where doctors, specialist, radiologists, laboratories can function efficiently and with clarity. The enormous benefits that Ai in healthcare has demonstrated points to significant transformations in healthcare delivery that is built around the concept of “patient first. From robotic-assisted surgery, Ai-based image screening to hospital management, Ai in healthcare is rapidly raising the bar to meet the ever-increasing demand for a holistic, quality healthcare experience.

Globally, the market size of Ai in healthcare is expected to grow from USD 4.9 billion (2020) to USD 45.2 billion by 2026 with a CAGR of 44.9% during the forecast period! This rapid growth is spurred by several factors in the healthcare segment itself – widening gap between healthcare providers to the patient ratio, humungous amount of healthcare data that needs to be processed quickly and efficiently, escalating healthcare costs, need for speed, rising research costs in drug development and the overall need for improvised healthcare services.

Here are some Ai-driven advantages

• Escalating healthcare costs? Ai to the rescue!

Everyone today is reeling under the escalating costs of healthcare.  Here is where adopting Ai into the healthcare system can help cut down the costs to a large extent and deliver the much-needed value to the patient. In addition, it also lightens the burden on hospitals and healthcare institutions in terms of overheads, operational costs and streamlining processes. 

Ai algorithms make healthcare processes faster, at a fraction of the original cost. For example, the identification of biomarkers can pick out potential threat of diseases in our bodies, which means we can save a lot of lives by simply acting faster and with better clarity. Ai has also helped laboratories arrive at an almost zero-error diagnosis compared to traditional methods. Prediction-based results based on personal information have given doctors and specialists a powerful tool to arrive at an enhanced treatment plan and put patients on the road to recovery faster. This also implies lesser trips for the patient for laboratory tests and doctor consultations, all of which are major cost-saving measures.

• Robotic-assisted surgery – A surgeon’s infallible support

Today more and more complex surgeries are relying on robotic support to achieve 100% accuracy.  Ai has enabled a significant leap in robotic applications in surgery. 

Thanks to robotic aided surgeries, complex operations can be carried out with significantly lowered risks and lesser side effects. For example, patients waiting to be operated undergo Antibacterial Nanorobots to eliminate all blood infections before surgery! Besides, robotic-assisted surgery delivers the advantages of minimalizing blood loss during surgery and lowering the pain making post-surgery recovery faster for the patient. 

• Gaps in patient care? Enter the nurse bot

With the increasing demand for healthcare support staff and the ever-widening gap between the availability of quality nurses and post-recovery patient care, healthcare institutions often run into a wall when it comes to delivering holistic patient care. This is where robots can now assist patients along with nurses and medical staff. Many robots, through machine learning implementation, are also capable of performing daily nursing tasks. These “conversational” robots are programmed to take blood sugar readings, check blood pressure, take the patient’s temperature and even monitoring taking the prescribed pills and medication. In fact, some of these nurse bots, as they are called, are programmed to offer mental empathy and support for post-surgical patients making the healing process faster and better.

• Ai-based health screening – Early detection and faster recovery

Health screenings have reached the next level in enabling a complete picture of health for the patients. These scans not only give the whole picture but provide the much-needed clarity in terms of a patient’s general state of health of his or her internal organs. By slicing through any ambiguity, Ai-based image screenings help radiologists, doctors and specialists arrive at quicker and accurate findings and draw out a holistic recovery plan for the patients. Moreover, these screenings are faster and less painful (especially scans like mammography) and more important are very low on radiation while high on accuracy. Patients also have the advantage of easy access to their digital records, often as fast as collecting them on checkout itself!  

Ai-driven tools also collect valuable patient data, helping healthcare professions carry out a comparative health assessment on the previous and present health condition of patients. Since the images provided clarity and 100% accuracy, doctors and specialists are able to arrive at a clear diagnosis and in instances, even predict potential health issues the patient may face in the future. Hence, other than earlier detection and speedier recovery, Ai can also show the road to a healthier way of life.

Without a doubt, Ai and robotics can bring about a transformation in healthcare, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem. The Internet of Medical Things is the way forward where healthcare professionals, support staff, hospital systems and above all the patient can look forward to reaping the unlimited possibilities towards leading healthy lives.