AI in Healthcare: Uses, Benefits, and Examples

In the ever-changing landscape of the digital world, artificial intelligence, as a key frontier, has grown remarkably. It has evolved in its current applications and also expanded to integrate into other sectors and fields.

Though many are now opening up to the transformative powers of AI in the public discourse, the truth is that AI has been a driving force for quite some time. It has been successful with great effect in various industries.

And AI in healthcare is one such field where the tangible realities brought forth by tech shine through. 

Artificial intelligence uses an amalgamation of algorithms and its analysis of large pools of data which it calls ‘machine learning.’

These processes allow AI to power smart models and programs, which in turn are optimized for various types of workflows – depending on the industry it will be utilized for.

This should give you a very bare-bones idea of how artificial intelligence in healthcare operates. However, as our understanding and usage of AI have evolved, so have its operations in various industries.

AI in healthcare, in that vein, has ushered in a host of benefits and use cases, with potential for more, shortly. 

Beyond the Lab and Tech: How is AI Used in Healthcare?

Much of the efforts made by healthcare providers in improving patient outcomes and in the field of medicine, revolves around making accurate and timely interventions.

Patients with treatable diseases and chronic conditions alike – they all can benefit from healthcare becoming a smarter and swifter process. And artificial intelligence in healthcare holds one of the keys in that set.

It has proven itself as a masterful tool for analyzing pools of data and presenting important patterns that one would normally miss. 

Plus, more capabilities of AI have been working wonders for the healthcare sector, similar to AR in pharma.

Here are some important use cases of AI in healthcare, as we explore more about how this technology has been changing modern medicine for the better:

✔️ For Diagnosing Diseases

Detecting diseases through the use of tech has been a common part of modern medicine, through the use of all the hardware that enables CT scans, X-rays, and MRIs.

However, normally, the one looking over these scans or images would be the doctor or physician of the patient who would recognize key indicators and make a diagnosis based on that. 

AI in healthcare can be used to either assist or supplement this process by analyzing those scans and images by itself.

This can be tuned for highly accurate results where the AI model detects diseases, fractures, abnormal growths, and other types of issues that were observed. 

Powered by natural language processing (NLP), the model can also help healthcare providers in having medical records analyzed quickly for aiding the diagnosis process.

It can generate notes and bring up other relevant bits of information that make it easier to practice and detect diseases. 

✔️ In Predicting Ailments

During their line of work and the usual processes that a healthcare provider completes in a day, there are often a lot of instances where they come upon patients exhibiting certain symptoms.

Now, doctors and physicians typically administer aid and treat various ailments but they also take note of their patient’s current status from time to time.

This helps them understand their patient’s present condition as well as predict if they’re going to get better or worse. Also, it allows them to understand the natural progression of a sickness. 

AI in healthcare can be used in this manner to predict when an ailment will either appear or become worse in a patient’s case.

It can use data from various sources about the patients, such as their medical history and current condition.

And then, alert healthcare providers accordingly and suggest resources to be allocated and other important details. 

This can also help medical facilities in reducing how many patients are readmitted, by accurately predicting their medical needs.

While advising the healthcare providers on which patients are high-risk and could indeed, worsen when the time comes. This will free up beds and resources typically allocated for cases that might not be as serious as others.

And could do with reduced admissions or with home visits.

Related post: Benefits, and Use Cases of Predictive Modeling in Healthcare

✔️ Powering Virtual Assistants

Telemedicine and consults to homes and different hospitals over video conferencing software have been a part of healthcare services for a while now.

It has allowed doctors and physicians to examine patients, diagnose and prescribe medicines or even evaluate if they need to be admitted to the hospital on a remote basis.

However, having an automated system to answer queries or provide basic health support can further reduce the task load for care providers as they would be able to delegate cases based on risk and urgency. 

Virtual health assistants powered by AI in healthcare can allow for chatbots and smart models connected to cameras on the side of the patient can view and administer basic health support.

It’ll not be virtual as in having AR VR in healthcare, but more of a computer-based model. It would be able to answer questions related to their health, even based on their medical history if the patient so chooses to allow access.

And further, raise it to actual doctors if the condition warrants further examination. 

In that same vein, telemedicine on video platforms can be set up with AI in healthcare to make remote monitoring and consulting an easier task for doctors.

It can allow for collecting medical records and details on what the patient’s feeling like, etc., and also give suggestions – which will make the examining and diagnosing processes faster.

Related post: AI in Telemedicine: How AI is Revolutionizing Patient Care

✔️ In Personalizing Treatments

One of the key reasons why healthcare providers often have to wedge various patients into a single treatment or healthcare regime they believe to be appropriate for an illness is the shortage of time.

Hospitals and medical facilities are often overwhelmed with loads of cases cropping up at all times. And in this bustle, it is quite easy for patients requiring a different approach to their treatment – to be left out or receive similar treatment akin to others.

This may relate to specific medicines, dosage periods, frequency of consults, and more. 

AI in healthcare not only frees up time on a general basis for healthcare providers, but it can also play a major role in enabling personalized treatments.

That’s because it can study the doctor’s prescribed patterns and routines for certain diseases and tally it against the data it has collected about a patient from their medical records and presenting symptoms. 

This will allow models to smartly recommend certain treatment plans or variances in dosages which the doctor might’ve earlier prescribed or might want to consider.

They can even explore the use of other options for treatment such as VR therapy and AR fitness programs.
Furthermore, ML (machine learning) algorithms powering AI in healthcare will also come in handy in detecting which patients can be recommended for clinical trials.

Or perhaps be put on experimental treatments that might work for the patient where the usual medicines and regimes are showing little effect. 

✔️ For Developing Drugs

Drug discovery is often a long and stretched-out process that takes sometimes months and even years to get it right.

Medical facilities involved in the research of drugs spend a lot of time analyzing massive pools of data. Which, even with specialized research software, can take up massive chunks of their resources and time.

Then, there’s a case to be made for speeding up the drug discovery process for life-saving drugs intended for outbreaks and certain diseases that must be prevented from spreading.

Using AI in healthcare has the potential to shorten the time and resources spent on these steps, as it can sift through large data pools and also analyze them for specific conditions quite rapidly.

It can help to identify candidates during different phases of the trials, and also keep a check on matters like compliance and regulations for the medical researchers to meet.

In addition to that, artificial intelligence in healthcare can also reduce the time required for testing and acquiring results during each phase of the trials.

It can look at patterns in previous results and make predictions based on recognizing similar patterns from the current batch in the trial, thus reducing the time spent on each individual candidate.

These are some of the important applications of AI in healthcare that are made possible in today’s age owing to smart models and algorithms.

It highlights the various use cases that are being explored by medical facilities and professionals. And they are enabling a range of advantages for the healthcare sector, owing to its safe use and effectiveness. 

Streamlining Medical Operations: Benefits of AI in Healthcare

The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is on an incline and based on the use cases we’ve learnt, it’s easy to see why. If you’re familiar with generative AI use cases, then you would know: That there are many brilliant applications for this digital tech in modern medicine.

And this, in turn, has the potential to provide a load of benefits to the healthcare industry. For instance, a study from the journal ‘Nature Medicine’ has credited AI-powered imaging and analysis to be able to detect cancer cells with greater accuracy than presently possible. 

A further study in the same journal has also highlighted how AI in healthcare systems is capable of developing personalized treatment plans for cancer patients – that can be more effective at treating people suffering from cancer, than the treatments they are commonly used to.

Let’s take a look at some of the tangible benefits that we can expect from seeing AI in healthcare:

✔️ Accurate Diagnosis

Artificial intelligence in healthcare may be used to examine enormous volumes of data in order to detect emerging trends and patterns that human doctors may overlook.

This may result in a more specific diagnosis as well as increasingly successful treatment regimens. AI-powered image analysis technologies, for example, are being used to spot cells that are cancerous in medical imaging with a greater precision than human doctors.

Customized Medicine

AI can also be used to create individualized treatment recommendations for each patient based on their genetic composition, medical records, and other criteria.

This might help in making certain that patients get the best possible treatment. And so, AI in healthcare systems, for example, is being utilized to build individualized cancer treatment regimens that are tailored to each patient's tumor's particular genetic abnormalities.

✔️ Dropping Costs

The use of AI-powered tools can assist to cut expenses by increasing efficiency and decreasing mistakes. In that same vein, AI-powered systems, for example, are being used to detect and repair inaccuracies in medical records.

This is reducing costs incurred by hospitals and facilities in their practices and regimen. Similar to companies exploring the use of private blockchain in healthcare for reducing transaction costs and errors. 

✔️ Boosting Patient Safety

Artificial intelligence is capable of helping evaluate patients for possible consequences such as infection and falls. This may be helpful in the early detection and treatment of issues before they get too serious.

AI in healthcare and smart systems, for example, are being employed for watching patients admitted to intensive care units for symptoms of sepsis.

✔️ Increasing Accessibility

AI in healthcare and its solutions can help consumers access competent medical professionals even if they reside in remote locations.

This can further improve the effectiveness of telemedicine and the efforts of healthcare providers who want to overcome their restricted mobility through spatial intelligence.

These make up for many of the tangible benefits one can see in the medical sector from having AI in healthcare.

Lots of companies are increasing their adoption of AI tools, and outfitting medical facilities with the latest in AI technology to compete with the rest. 

Transforming Modern Medicine: Top AI in Healthcare Examples

Now that we have caught up on most of the important applications and benefits of having artificial intelligence in healthcare sector, let’s take a look at some of the pioneers – the companies and medical facilities who are presently using AI to transform modern medicine:

✔️ Google Health

As an indicator of Google’s step into the medical fray, Google Health is an endeavor of the tech giant in bringing AI for healthcare providers to use.

It is aimed at allowing patients to manage their health in a way that benefits their regime and comfort, while staying connected with their care providers.

It’s an important example of AI in healthcare that allows patients to monitor themselves and ward off potential risks. 

✔️ Koninklijke Phillips

As a Dutch powerhouse in manufacturing various healthcare tools, devices and programs, Phillips has also dabbled in introducing AI in their healthcare products.

It has merged various IoT devices with common medical gadgetry and in the same manner, implementing AI for their products.

For instance, Phillips is making an AI in healthcare system that lets doctors to keep a track of their patients during surgery and carefully avoid any chance for complications. 

✔️ Merative L.P

Previously known as IBM Watson Health, Merative L.P. is a medical tech company based out of the US. It has explored several options for combining medical care systems with machine learning, smart models and AI and is using them to create innovative tools for diagnostics and treatment plans.

An example of Merative L.P leveraging AI in healthcare would be their program that allows doctors to scan and detect the presence of cancer in patients. And, in a manner that’s more accurate than current practices!

Decoding the Future of AI in Healthcare

So, there you have it. These are just a few examples of the type of AI-powered medical tools and systems that are being developed for use by healthcare-sector companies.

It’s still relatively new as a technology for modern medicine but given the applications and benefits we’ve discussed, it’s clear why AI is being integrated by more and more medical facilities. 

It's because AI in healthcare is proving to be an ally for medical processes and care providers – whether it's for making an accurate diagnosis, revising treatments or regimens, or making operations effective.

We invite you to join us at EDIIIE in realizing the power of AI for your organization. Our team can help you with developing the next healthcare innovation, by crafting AI solutions and the best in smart fitness technology.

Contact us today and start your AI journey in improving lives and their well-being.