What Is Artificial Intelligence?
The term artificial intelligence may sound like something out of science fiction, but there are many ways it is actually incorporated into our daily lives today. There are several definitions of artificial intelligence. Essentially, it is a method for computers to solve problems. What artificial intelligence can do for us is incredible!
Dizziness and Artificial Intelligence
Do you or someone you know suffer from dizziness? Per NIH, 15 to 20% of adults suffer from dizziness every year. What’s more, patients who suffer from dizziness sometimes visit many different doctors or health professionals before finally discovering their diagnosis and treatment, particularly for vestibular migraine. Luckily, technology is advancing all the time, and artificial intelligence (AI) has great promise for both diagnostic and treatment in healthcare.
Mayo Clinic Model
At Mayo Clinic, AI tools have already begun to provide insight into dizziness. As dizziness may be caused by a variety of etiologies, it can be challenging to determine the cause and requires the right type of health professional to evaluate and treat. This NY Times post talks about what that is like from the patient perspective. For example, dizziness may be caused by:
- inner ear dysfunction
- BPPV
- orthostatic hypotension
- migraine
- anxiety
- cardiovascular dysfunction
- many other reasons
The MINT at Mayo Clinic uses a dizziness assessment tool to effectively triage patients, so that they see the most helpful clinician to address their symptoms. By using a questionnaire, AI is able to synthesize information about symptoms and provide an overview that is then used to triage patients more efficiently. This is a really exciting way to help patients get the help that they need by directing them to the right professional from the start. AI also has great potential to pick up on trends in symptoms, family history, and other medical data and continually optimize this process.
Exciting Technology with Artificial Intelligence
Hearing aids and other wearable devices have the capable of monitoring balance function, falls, and other data. Recently I was looking at my iPhone Health data showing number of steps for the day. I noticed some new metrics including “walking asymmetry,” among other factors. This is an example of how artificial intelligence can help to collect relevant data about your balance. Perhaps you’ve also noticed that iPhone can monitor how loud your music is as well. In the future, artificial intelligence has great potential to notice trends in our daily lives and make suggestions or recommendations based on the data that is coming in. Read more about how the Apple app works here.
The Future of Healthcare
One of the most significant ways AI is changing healthcare is through diagnostics. In the past, diagnosis was often a guessing game based on symptoms and limited information. With AI, however, we now have access to vast amounts of data that can be used to train algorithms to make more accurate diagnoses. For example, IBM Watson is being used by some hospitals to help diagnose cancer. This is a significant development because it means that we can now catch diseases earlier and begin treatment sooner.
More Personalized Medicine
AI is also changing the way treatments are delivered. With traditional medicine, there is a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. However, AI is allowing us to personalize treatments based on an individual’s specific needs. This is possible because AI can analyze a patient’s medical history and genetic makeup to determine the best course of treatment. For example, there is a startup called Berg that is using AI to develop personalized cancer treatments. This is an important development because it means that we can tailor treatments to the individual, rather than just treating the disease.
Of course, with any new technology, there are ethical concerns that need to be addressed. When it comes to AI in healthcare, one of the main concerns is data privacy. With all of the data that is being collected by hospitals and other medical institutions, there is a risk that this data could be used to discriminate against certain groups of people. For example, if insurance companies had access to this data, they could use it to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. To address this concern, there are now laws in place that protect the privacy of medical data.
What Are Your Thoughts?
What do you think about using artificial intelligence in healthcare? Contact us here.
