How Can AI Change the Future of Telemedicine?

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Today’s technology has become a game-changer not only for the tertiary sector but also for the primary and secondary sectors of the economy as well. Along with transport, trade, business, finance, IT, and medicine; mining, agriculture, and industry are all dependent on technology. AI, machine learning, and automation are the latest forms of this technology.

As machine learning and AI technology continually evolve towards perfection, the world gears to embrace them as the new normal. As we speak, AI technology is transforming everything about the way we do business and live our lives.

From the development and packaging of the product to the marketing and promotion; AI has penetrated all aspects of our world. For instance, a small carpet cleaning business can use big data analytics and machine learning to aid marketers in segmenting audiences and creating highly-specified campaigns.

Similarly, healthcare is a crucial part of the tertiary sector, which heavily depends on machines and AI to drive groundbreaking discoveries in medicine. These devices have proved to be convenient in diagnosing an ailment and finding the correct remedy. Business insider intelligence Business insider intelligencestated that investing in AI in healthcare is predicted to rise annually by 47% from 2017 to 2023.

What is Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare?

Machine learning contains the ability to provide decisions to hospital staff based on data collected from patients’ medical history. This makes this field a source of enhanced revenue potential. It is given the name CDS (Clinical Decision Support), which is a system that aids in providing multiple choices based on medical data collected from subjects.

Remote Patient Monitoring

This technology allows medical staff to observe patients and record important data from their homes or remote areas, hence cutting down the necessity for the patient to visit the hospital/healthcare facility frequently for checkups. One of its key functions is that it’s able to effectively detectthe signs of worsening health, which reduces emergency visits to the hospital or prolonged hospital stays.

The data collected by the AI-powered software is transmitted to the physician, who is then able to monitor the vitals and progress of the patient. Constant surveillance helps to predict positive patient outcomes and provides alerts to medical officials in case of abnormalities. AI technology has the potential to further advance telemedicine software to help our healthcare infrastructure combat diseases and control overall health.

Intelligent Assistance for Diagnosis

Presently, technology has permitted hospitals to record vital information such as blood pressure, blood glucose levels, etc. of their patients in a matter of minutes. However, with the evolution of technology, many startupcompanies are using AI to explore new ways to offer better treatment facilities.

Remote diagnosis has become a reality due to telemedicine, which hasreduced the number of patient visits, especially those dealing with diabetic retinopathy. It is also excellent for remote areas in developing nations where healthcare facilities are only limited to a few big cities.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services reports that through telemedicine applications, patient visits related to diabetic retinopathy have been reduced by 14,000. In the same way, other diagnostic procedures will be done at home in the future, without requiring a visit to the hospital. A considerable amount of time and labor can be saved with the help of AI software in screening processes, which can evaluate the severity of the condition.

Improved Collaboration among Healthcare Professionals

With the progression of AI software in telemedicine healthcare officials can collaborate in diagnosing patients and provide assistance accordingly. Moreover, AI can publicize important discoveries in medicine, making it readily available to people and medical staff around the world. Progress in Data sciences is transforming pharmaceutical research by making it simpler to make accurate test results, evaluate data, and identify patterns. Implementing AI for pattern recognition omits the likelihood of human errors.

Preventing Physician Burnout

Most people don’t ever really think from the medical officer’s perspective, but after all, they’re humans as well. And when you’ve been examining hundreds of patients back-to-back, there is a higher likelihood of burnouts. Doctors and medical professionals often spend prolonged hours in front of a computer screen, entering important data into medical records for every patient. This is also the cause of increased burnouts and fatigue in doctors and can lead to lower productivity at work.

Fortunately, the innovation of telemedicine has brought down ‘paperwork,’ and other tedious tasks clinicians have to practice.Furthermore, merging AI technology with telemedicine has major benefits in the longrun that can aid doctors in managing their own well-being before completely burning themselves out. Doctors won’t have to spend extended hours entering notes digitally as the AI-enabled program would be able to perform these tasks on its own.

Providing Better Healthcare totheElderly

While many are fearful of the idea that doctors may eventually be replaced by robots, they can actually play a major role in delivering recommended healthcare to the elderly. Some of the prevalent inventions in telehealth include assistive robots that are designed to aid professionals in surgery, diagnosis, etc. Such smart robots can be of great use in assisting aged individuals in moving around their residence, administering medications, monitoring health, and notifying physicians in case of emergencies.

The AI-powered robot assistants can understand the changes in the environment and memorize the movement patterns of the patient in order to offer specialized assistance. The assistant is programmed in such a way that it can remember the interiors (and exteriors, if needed) of the home, which makes it easier for it to help the patient walk and perform other tasks conveniently.

A prime example of a system leading this change is the Japanese government. Back in 2016, the Japanese government declared to fund the research and development of nursing care robots to reduce the burden on caretakers. The scope of the research was to deliver assistance according to people’s needs, which include mobility assistance, bathing, and monitoring patients with dementia or other complex conditions.

What’s In Store for the Future?

Moving forward, the demand for smarter and better healthcare will increase exponentially. As medical experts continue to make discoveries in the field of medicine, we need the assistance of telemedicine and robotic procedures to improve and implement modern healthcare solutions in different communities. Naturally, this will decrease the burden on professionals while also creating job opportunities for individuals proficient in the maintenance of robots and AI-powered programs. If the world embraces AI technology, hospitals and medical institutes will be able to deliver healthcare 24/7.