Artificial intelligence (AI) is permanently changing our healthcare system. It supports doctors in evaluating huge amounts of medical data more reliably than ever before. This gives patients access to individual, tailor-made treatment options.

In a year of pandemics and uncertainty, technology was a shining light. So what about the future, especially health technology? How can the industry continue to use digital technology to better equip physicians to better care for their patients and improve access to health care for everyone – patients, providers, and payers.

In the past year, technology has played a huge role in keeping society connected. It has made it possible for employees in different places to work together, for the company to get in touch with their customers in new ways, and for families to stay in touch.

The importance of technology in the fight against the pandemic cannot be underestimated. When personal appointments had to be canceled to contain the spread of the virus, telemedical services, and e-diagnostics filled the gap.

When health care had to be done remotely, patient monitoring solutions that kept doctors informed in real-time became an essential tool. As nations across Europe tried to grasp the spread of COVID-19, track and trace apps were developed very quickly.

The Rise Of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and machine learning (ML) impact patient care and provide essential support in many clinical settings.

But the evolution of technology will continue to empower doctors, and AI is one of the health tech tools that will enable them to do the job more effectively.

When they work side by side in harmony, doctors equipped with artificial intelligence will have greater decision-making support and, above all, better time management – both of which will save lives.

The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is already increasing. The number of organizations already using it or planning to do so in the future has doubled since the pandemic outbreak.

AI-Equipped Doctors

Healthcare professionals are tasked with making life-changing decisions, but they are burdened with administrative tasks like the rest of us. for example, doctors spend 17% of their working hours on administrative tasks, and the number of hours is likely to be even higher when non-working hours are included.

Artificial intelligence can reduce the burden by doing a lot of the filling out forms, which inevitably comes with treating people. This will only be easier to integrate if more patient records are digitized and stored in cloud environments instead of physically.

When doctors don’t have to fill out forms, they have more time to care for patients and learn more about the diseases.

As we think about how Artificial Intelligence can have a more direct impact on patient care, we should also examine the process of symptom control and triage (assessment of an unknown patient with an acute health disorder).

Under normal circumstances, a doctor will take a detailed medical history, ask what symptoms a patient is experiencing, and then decide how serious a problem is and what next steps to take.

In a hospital, this can lead to the patient being sent to the appropriate department and admitted. However, it can also result in the patient being sent home for a few over-the-counter medications and rest. The challenge with the latter scenario is that the time and money that should be used for more serious cases are used for patients who shouldn’t be there.

The doctor is unable to focus on other patients who have potentially life-changing problems. Especially in countries where healthcare is not free, this means costs for everyone involved; the patient, the healthcare provider, and the insurance company.

Improve Diagnostics With The Help Of AI

AI health technology solutions can reduce the occurrence of such events by conducting initial consultations and analyzing symptoms to guide the patient to the appropriate level of care. Accessible through several platforms, a patient could list their symptoms and quickly understand the level of urgency and the steps to be taken.

This could mean that you go to a pharmacy instead of consulting a doctor or that you are referred directly to the right specialist who can treat your problem more quickly.

AI symptom checkers have proven to be an incredibly effective tool during the pandemic. In an unprecedented situation, they enabled a quick assessment of symptoms. They recommended treatment steps, which indirectly reduced the risk of virus transmission by helping control the flow of patients from the crowded emergency rooms. Patients who didn’t have to be there were directed elsewhere.

In addition, all information captured by the solution can be used by doctors to make more informed diagnoses. They no longer have to take medical histories. All the data they need is already in place, and they understand the possible severity of the problem before seeing the patient.

In addition, the data is used by Artificial Intelligence to learn and grow, which means that its knowledge base expands with each use. It is constantly evolving to become an increasingly informed resource.

Changing The Health Technology Landscape

The past year has shown the world how important technology is to society. We have seen some impressive innovations in health technology, and ensuring adoption continues to improve health care for all, but that requires education.

While technology is becoming commonplace in some areas, it is still an add-on in others, and more thought needs to be given to how technology can be introduced earlier.

Artificial intelligence has the power to revolutionize healthcare, but its full potential has yet to be unlocked. Artificial intelligence can prevent a backlog of patients who unnecessarily use the health system—at the same time, treating those in need of urgent care faster, giving doctors more time to devote to patients with complex problems. Artificial intelligence can solve many of the problems doctors face today.

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