4 Ways AI Is The Future Of Hospitals
By Deepak Gaddipati, CTO and Founder VirtuSense Technologies
Hospitals are often caught in a tug-of-war choosing between time-tested methods and the razor’s edge of new research when it comes to adopting new treatments, processes, and technology. Venturing into the uncharted waters of advanced technologies and innovative techniques can be unsettling, but the payoff for hospital systems and patients can lead to improved patient experience, quality, and outcomes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is among the emerging technologies that are being increasingly leveraged throughout the healthcare industry, especially in the research and development of new medications. Bringing Artificial Intelligence tools into the hospital can streamline and accelerate processes in almost every department, enabling care providers to transition from reactive to proactive care to drive better outcomes.
- Optimize Record-Keeping
How many times have you felt like you’re not being heard by your doctor during office visits because they are staring at the computer documenting, instead of focusing on you? If AI is taking notes, that doctor/patient disconnect could become a thing of the past. Administrative tasks are pervasive in our healthcare system today, and paperwork errors can cause slowdowns and frustration that prevent patients from getting efficient care. AI solutions that focus on learning human language patterns are invaluable to classifying and organizing clinical documents. With an AI tool sorting the many layers of documentation and notes that hospitals generate, hospital administrative teams can get the right information quickly. AI documentation tools can also discover patterns in clinical notes and aggregate data leveraging a methodology that improves patient outcomes. And, according to Forbes, administrative automation could save the healthcare industry $18 billion.
- Diagnosis Assistance
Time and information are the most valuable resources in a hospital, but one often comes at the expense of the other. Move too quickly and the care teams can't make informed decisions; wait for information and the prognosis may worsen. Because AI is perfectly suited for gathering and analyzing large amounts of data, the technology can potentially proactively detect and diagnose conditions before symptoms develop. For rare or highly complex health situations, this data-driven approach can help initiate patient treatment faster, before their condition worsens. Deep learning algorithms are already detecting breast cancer metastasis with high rates of success.
- Remote Patient Monitoring
Patient safety and monitoring are around-the-clock concerns for all hospitals. Though classified as a never-event, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that between 700,000 and 1 million patients fall in hospitals each year. AI-powered remote patient monitoring can prevent falls and collect routine vital readings 24/7 without requiring increased nurse staffing or tele-sitters. Compared to manual rounding, vitals recorded by AI can be done more efficiently and accurately. Highly trained AI can be paired with sensor technology such as LIDAR to build a discreet monitoring platform, protecting the privacy of both patients and care teams. Automating these mundane tasks with AI enables nurses to focus on what matters most: their patients.
- Patient Experience
Consumerism is driving the future of healthcare. Patients are increasingly engaging with healthcare providers digitally through apps, online portals, and telehealth before they go to urgent care or a hospital. AI tools are helping make the patient experience better, even before arriving at the hospital. Starting at the beginning of the patient journey, AI tools like symptom checkers and health logs can provide a detailed medical history to expedite diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
Emerging technologies such as AI are the future of healthcare delivery. Leveraging AI tools are vital for hospital systems to drive quality patient outcomes, safeguard financial viability, and transition to proactive care delivery to protect human lives.
About Deepak Gaddipati
Deepak Gaddipati is a technology visionary, acquiring peerless expertise in machine vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) while developing the first commercial full-body, automated scanning system that is widely deployed across most U.S. airports. Leveraging his expertise in AI and LIDAR sensors and commitment to transforming healthcare, he founded VirtuSense Technologies, which offers products that predict, prevent, and protect patients from falls, injuries, and adverse health events. Deepak has contributed to numerous scientific publications and currently holds two patents.