Artificial intelligence has slowly crept its way from science-fiction movies to reality, and we can see its adoption almost everywhere now. A great number of industries and their verticals are embracing it, including ecommerce, hospitality, education, financial institutions, and many others.
AI and machine learning are revolutionizing the world, but the sector where they may be making the greatest impact is definitely healthcare. Believe it or not, they are helping physicians save lives.
According to the Frost & Sullivan’s latest analysis of AI in healthcare, Artificial Intelligence Market – Key Application Areas for Growth in Healthcare IT, Forecast to 2022, the market is expected to grow to $6.16 billion between 2018 and 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 68.55%.
The market research company also predicted that AI and cognitive computing will help the healthcare industry save more than $150 billion by 2025. This is all because AI greatly reduces the complexity of medical data, eliminates the risk of human error and takes precision medicine to a whole new level, ultimately reducing risk and increasing profitability.
However, despite those benefits, only 15-20% of end users have actually been making use of AI in healthcare. Nevertheless, according to Frost & Sullivan, all of that is going to change in the next 3-5 years, as more AI-driven solutions are already hitting the market and compelling various healthcare stakeholders to harness their power.
Innovative AI-Powered Healthcare Solutions
The NHS (National Health Service) in the UK has already initiated several healthcare solutions powered by artificial intelligence that are completely changing the healthcare parameters of various institutions.
One of those solutions is HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis that helps detect coronary artery disease, completely transforming the manner of care for the diagnosis and management of the disease.
Another solution is Babylon Health, which offers both an online platform and a mobile app and uses AI and machine learning to help physicians diagnose any symptom accurately. The service provides personalized health assessments, advice on treatments, and face-to-face doctor appointments 24/7.
There’s also a collaborative DigitalHealth.London program, brought by MedCity, JCLPartners, Imperial College Health Partners and the Health Innovation Network. Supported by NHS England (London) and the Mayor’s Office, this accelerator program’s goal is to become a digital health hub that will speed up the adoption of technology in the NHS in London and help clinicians and healthcare experts collaborate to find the best healthcare solutions.
Taking Ongoing Cancer Care and Support to the Next Level
One of the latest innovations with the goal of accelerating technology adoption and transforming patient care is Trustedoctor. It’s an online platform that connects people from all around the world with the goal of creating an international community that shares a single goal – providing trustworthy advice to cancer patients, making sure they get the best treatment and adopting technology to help cancer patients and their families in their fight against cancer.
Karol Sikora, Professor of Oncology and Dean of Medicine at the University of Buckingham, said about this tech innovation: “Trustedoctor’s technology could help to improve connectivity between patients, clinicians, and NHS Trusts, speeding up diagnosis. It could also ensure the right expertise can be brought to the patient more speedily and effectively, even to those living at some distance from a cancer center.”
Trustedoctor will also enable cancer patients to schedule their follow-up appointments, and both the patients and their doctors will receive reminders. The patients will also be able to easily find other specialists and get a second opinion.
They can talk to specialists from the comfort of their own home, by using video conferencing features of the digital platform. Instead of waiting in queues for hours, they can simply contact any doctor from home and ask for advice on treatment, and they will get answers in just a few hours.
Greg Jarzabek, the CEO and co-founder of Trustedoctor, said about the acceleration program: “Our solution provides doctors with virtual links to manage patient referrals, transfer curated and structured medical records, consult, and collaborate. We know that in many cases we can have doctors responding to patient requests within 12-24 hours, with a consultation happening the same day.”
Paul Grundy, Consultant Neurosurgeon at Southampton Hospital, Chair of NHS England Clinical Reference Group for CNS Tumours and Secretary of the British Neuro-Oncology Society, added: “Trustedoctor could be a great asset to the NHS by facilitating virtual consultations, allowing patients the benefits of being seen in the comfort and convenience of their own home and freeing up valuable clinic space in hospitals for those patients that do require an on-site appointment.”
Trustedoctor has also developed a PatientLink platform, where cancer patients can store and organize their medical history. They can upload their medical data and share it with any health care specialist they want in order to gain a clear insight into all their scans and reports.
There’s also a DoctorLink platform, where doctors can create their private virtual clinic accounts and provide patient consultations, as well as communicate with doctors, with whom they can exchange documents, files, and knowledge.
Trustedoctor is definitely one of the most important health tech solutions that use artificial intelligence right now, and it is more than certain that it is going to change the world as we know it.
This is not only because it connects cancer patients with their doctors and various other healthcare practitioners and oncology specialists, but also because it connects physicians, NHS stakeholders, investors in the healthcare industry and various innovators, helping them provide the best possible medical advice, treatment, support, and patient care to cancer patients.
