I recently got the opportunity to show my ageing parents what OpenAI’s ChatGPT could do. Artificial Intelligence to them was a fairly abstract concept held for Hollywood blockbusters, so pulling out a laptop was the result of a conversation that centred around “how does it actually benefit me?” Imagine their surprise when they discovered how it could help them write an email, spruce up a resume, or create Excel formulas and charts. They’re both two-finger typers so the possibilities of how this could make their lives more efficient got them more excitable than a teenager scrolling through TikTok and Instagram Reels.
As they wondered how it was going to make the last of their working years a breeze, my thoughts were around how AI would continue to help them beyond that into a long and healthy retirement. Just like assisting with Excel formulas, AI is starting to play a critical role in enhancing patient care and improving overall efficiencies in the Australian healthcare industry; not just for our ageing parents, but for all of us.
If You Currently Work In Healthcare, AI Is Getting Harder To Ignore.
The immense potential AI has when it comes to patient care almost looks limitless. With the ability to analyse large volumes of data, AI technologies might be able to help our healthcare professions in many different ways.
What about the continuous monitoring of patient’s vital signs, symptoms, and disease progression, alerting doctors to any significant changes that may require intervention? Or the potential to save lives and reduce hospital readmissions? Or AI-driven clinical decision support systems that could provide our doctors with evidence-based treatment recommendations? Can AI suggest appropriate treatment options, dosage recommendations, and potential drug interactions, empowering doctors with up-to-date information to make well-informed decisions?
Some Of That Might Sound A Little "Pie In The Sky," But AI Is The Here And Now.
There are quite a few vendors in the healthcare space already that can really add value to your practice in ways you might not have thought of yet, like:
- AI-powered scribing tools: They fully integrate with your Clinical Consultation software. While you’re concentrating on your patient, your AI helper listens intently in the background, and filters out all non-relevant information to return to you perfect patient notes for you to check. It knows which personal information to redact and does it in real-time, using state-of-the-art data encryption and data processing done locally on Australian servers. You can use your patient conversation to instantly generate a referral or letter in your own unique style, as your AI helper learns over time to adapt to the way you write.
- Virtual Assistants and Chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots can provide basic information, appointment scheduling, and answer frequently asked questions, improving patient access and engagement.
- Remote Monitoring and Telemedicine: AI technologies enable remote monitoring of patients’ vital signs, allowing healthcare providers and empower patients to track and manage chronic conditions or aftercare and provide virtual care.
- Medical Image Analysis: powerful AI algorithms can analyse and quickly identify information that may assist a clinician in reaching a diagnosis for diseases such as skin cancer, eye disease, and heart arrythmias.
- Clinical Decision Support: tools designed for use during patient consultations powered by AI can automate detection, and prompt clinicians to consider possible opportunities for early intervention for chronic disease, from cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and beyond. AI-driven tools can even have the ability to assist in recommending pathways of care alongside diagnosis considerations for clinicians and patients alike.
No Technology Can Replace The Importance Of Human Expertise And The Doctor-Patient Relationship.
Nevertheless, it is an exhilarating time to work in healthcare. Are you seeing your software vendors embracing these technologies to make your lives easier? With what is available right now, plus advancements on the horizon, AI will redefine work efficiencies across various roles in our practices. AI technologies are here and they’re already enhancing numerous aspects of our lives, so here’s to embracing these innovations, particularly for all those two finger typers out there.
For more information, the following vendors have some great AI products available, and are small sample of the many options available:
- Lyrebird Health
- Heidi Health
- 3D Anatomica
- DermEngine
- University of Melbourne – Future Health Today
- AI-Matters
- PenCS – Topbar
- Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool
- SmartHeal
Authored by:
Suzi Ely
Training & Deployment Manager at Best Practice Software.
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