By Michael Everest
The emergence of AI in healthcare has been groundbreaking, reshaping the way physicians diagnose, treat and monitor patients. It is radically improving healthcare research and outcomes by producing more precise diagnoses and enabling more individualized treatments.
Today, India’s AI in healthcare is growing at a rapid pace and could be worth a substantial of money in a few years. As we move forward, AI’s impact on healthcare becomes clear. The country is witnessing a significant surge in AI-driven healthcare applications—from diagnosis to treatment, and much more. A recent report says India’s AI healthcare market is likely to touch USD 1.6 billion by 2025, at a 40.5% CAGR from 2020 to 2025.
AI allows healthcare providers to offer personalized treatment plans, helps physicians see patients remotely and also to find new medicines faster. But doctors have to be careful because AI is not yet perfect. It may not be correct every time and can make errors. Research in healthcare AI is on to ensure that it is safe and helps people.
AI provides assistance to medical professionals and staff and patient services 24/7 and also helps reduce human errors. As AI tools continue to develop, the technology is likely to be used more in reading medical images, such as X-rays and scans, diagnosing medical problems and creating treatment plans.
AI applications will streamline different tasks—from answering phone calls to analysing population health trends. For instance, next-generation AI tools may automate more of the workload of clinicians and pathology staff members. This will free up time for humans for more effective and compassionate face-to-face professional care.
Researchers in healthcare have widely explored the potential of AI in overhauling the entire industry. One prominent study sheds light on the transformative capabilities of AI in healthcare. It stresses the importance of deep learning algorithms, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy by analysing medical images, including X-rays and MRIs, thereby improving patient care.
Here are a few ways in which AI in healthcare can be invaluable…
Diagnosis Accuracy & Tailored Medicine
AI algorithms evaluate huge amounts of patient data and detect patterns that may not otherwise be easily noticeable. AI-enabled predictive analytics are able to identify individuals at high risk of diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and cancer. This helps in more accurate diagnoses and allows physicians to start treatment earlier, thus improving patient outcomes.
Another area where AI is likely to have a significant impact is personalized medicine. Advanced algorithms analyse huge datasets, taking into account lifestyle and genetic, as well as clinical, information to provide tailored treatment plans. This approach improves patient outcomes and reduces healthcare costs, too.
Remote Patient Monitoring & Telemedicine
This is especially important after the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, remote patient monitoring and telemedicine have become an integral part of healthcare in India. AI-driven tele-health platforms provide real-time consultations, thus helping patients to connect with doctors from their homes. Remote-monitoring devices, along with AI algorithms, track patients’ vital signs and offer early warnings of possible health issues.
Fast Discovery of Drugs
AI is radically reducing the time and costs related with finding drugs. Machine learning systems analyse molecular structures and predict potential drug candidates. India’s thriving pharmaceutical industry stands to gain substantially from AI-driven drug research and development. Data shows that AI is helping pharmaceutical companies to save nearly 60% in drug discovery costs.
But some researchers say there are ethical issues related with implementation of AI in healthcare. One such paper, Ethical Considerations in AI-Enabled Healthcare, written by Sarah Miller and Robert Wilson, deals with issues in algorithmic bias and transparency in AI decisions, besides the significance of obtaining informed patient consent while involving AI-driven treatments.
In Conclusion
Integration of AI in healthcare is boosting innovation of groundbreaking medical devices and cutting-edge technologies that are likely to transform the healthcare delivery landscape significantly. These innovations have the capacity to improve diagnoses, streamline treatment processes and even redefine the way healthcare is administered, thus making AI a driving force behind the transformation of the sector.
Researches handling AI in healthcare offer valuable information on both the promises and challenges of the technology. Researchers stress the need for responsible AI adoption, taking into account privacy, ethics and regulatory considerations, while connecting AI’s capabilities with improved healthcare outcomes. As AI keeps evolving, ongoing research plays a key role in influencing its responsible integration into the healthcare ecosystem.
The author is founder, Residents Medical