Hospitals and healthcare facilities are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technology because of its ability to improve operations and patient care. Global adoption of AI technology in healthcare will grow to 38.4% by 2030, and the market is already valued at 10.4 billion.
Healthcare professionals realize the value of personalized care AI can provide, making it a critical investment for providing the best quality care. We’ll cover the benefits and risks of adopting AI into your healthcare systems and tools to operate more efficiently and effectively.
AI reassures physicians make the best treatment decisions by presenting the most accurate data from a wide dataset
Benefits of AI in the Medical Field
AI and machine learning are reshaping how hospitals, healthcare systems, medical groups, and digital health vendors operate by yielding the following benefits:
Streamline Tedious Tasks
AI enables physicians and staff to focus on critical tasks and patient care by managing and automating many mundane tasks like appointment scheduling, insurance reviews, tracking patient histories, or care recommendations. AI can analyze data and save time by comparing and combing large datasets to find the most optimal treatment solution.
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Research Faster
AI can pull, process, and analyze large datasets in a matter of seconds, drastically reducing research time. It can also process all the data available, making research more accurate for better patient care.
Physicians can also leverage AI to track, record, and analyze patient progress and diagnosis data that can be collected in real-time through IoT devices the patients use daily. This allows physicians to accurately monitor and assess patient progress and treatment.
focus on the patients and reduce their workload, reducing
By managing and automating many administrative and research analysis tasks, physicians can spend their time focusing on the patients and reducing their workload, which reduces stress from deadlines and workplace conditions.
By presenting the most accurate data from a wide dataset, AI reassures physicians make the best treatment decisions. They no longer need to worry that their decision is based on limited research or time constraints.
Save Time and Resources
AI can dramatically improve ways to streamline operations for medium to large health systems and groups, saving time and resources. By doing tedious research and automating routine processes, AI gives healthcare professionals more time to diagnose the best treatment options for their patients. And because it can handle scheduling and patient flow, it can optimize facility operations, making it more productive and reducing operational costs.
Get Real-Time Data
Doctors and medical professionals are leveraging AI’s ability to acquire, process, and analysis large datasets of relevant data for real-time, accurate information to make optimal clinical decisions. Professionals can assess and improve procedures, preventative steps, and diagnosis times to provide improved patient care.
By having real-time analytics, physicians can provide the most accurate, critical patient data that can be sent to the patient’s mobile device for immediate care and improved treatment. It can also help manage patient flow and give immediate patient status changes through the Internet of Things (IoT).
Learn more about Clearstep’s Smart Care Routing technology that enables healthcare facilities to automate triage, patient communication, and administrative tasks that can reduce operational costs while improving efficiency.
Related: 3 Ways Patient Care is Like Tinder
Negatives of AI in the Medical Field
While AI is very effective and can streamline many operational tasks and processes, you should be aware of the risks and disadvantages of AI technology:
Social Variables
As advanced as AI has become, it still can’t appropriately adjust for social variables that aren’t easily identifiable, like a patient’s social, economic, or personal preferences. It’s critical to have a healthcare professional assess the AI recommendations and then apply any additional social variables that might influence treatment or care.
Unemployment Levels
As AI automates and assumes administrative, research, and operational tasks, it can reduce the number of healthcare professionals needed to provide care. While this makes the facility more operationally efficient and reduces costs, it can displace many educated healthcare professionals, making it harder to find jobs.
Security Risks
AI must be connected to the data network, which makes it susceptible to cyber-attacks. If malicious attacks corrupt or tamper with the AI or its data, it can be an enormous security risk for patient information and render the AI ineffective. When utilizing AI technology, you must invest in the best cyber security to protect your systems from breaches.
Inaccuracies
AI is only as good as its data. AI technology can misdiagnose if inaccuracies or small datasets exist for particular demographics, illnesses, or environmental factors. This is especially true for prescriptions because data on treatment reactions for specific demographics may be limited. Healthcare professionals will want to be aware of these data gaps and make the necessary adjustments.
The Human Touch
Patients will always need an empathetic touch that AI cannot provide. AI solely uses logic and cannot operate as empathetically as a person can. Patients need healthcare professionals who can read behavioral queues and observations that may affect diagnosis and treatment.
Is AI the Future of Healthcare?
Yes. To remain competitive and provide the best care, you’ll need to adopt AI technology. By implementing AI into your healthcare systems and processes, you’ll be able to increase operational efficiency, lower costs, and elevate patient care. But be mindful of the risks of inaccurate data and needing a human touch to improve patient care and satisfaction.
Clearstep offers AI tools that improve operational efficiency and manage patient experience, increasing patient satisfaction, and retention. Our Smart Care Routing technology can automate tedious tasks to reduce staff stress and open up your schedule to focus on what matters most.
Want a more efficient tool for managing healthcare administrative tasks and scheduling? Sign up for a demo of our Smart Care Routing™ solutions.
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