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Artificial intelligence or AI is an area in computer science whose primary objective is to create machines that reflect human activities such as reasoning and cognitive abilities. Chronic illnesses can nowadays be treated professionally using AI within a shorter period. It is made achievable through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

At the University of Tokyo, an elderly lady was treated for Leukemia by Watson. Watson is a cognitive supercomputer by giant tech corporation, IBM. In ten minutes, it had explored 20 million cancer research writings, enabling it to prescribe a personalized treatment. Generally, AI is changing the methods of research and personalization of medicine through its advancements. It has also allowed valid interpretation and management of hospital data.

Data storage and management

Patient records, such as X-ray results, blood samples and DNA sequences, among other records, were previously stored in hard copies. It was somewhat tricky to use this enormous raw information effectively. However, all that changed when artificial intelligence came onto the scene. Organizing, referencing and analyzing is now easily done with the help of analytic tools, technological advancements and machine learning models. It is also beneficial to other businesses that handle a significant amount of data like hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Currently, almost all sectors of the health industry are influenced by the use of AI. Even human resources in healthcare benefit from the use of AI for storage purposes in what is called Electronic Health Records.

Research and predictive analytics

The ability of AI to comprehend raw data given to it is beneficial to doctors. It facilitates researchers and health technicians to pin out health issues better. Therefore, these professionals can prescribe the required medication. This advancement allows acknowledging and diagnosis of diseases that have been deemed incurable. It also operates at a quick pace beyond any human capability. AI enables fast research and cross-referencing of data. It is not limited to old information on a spreadsheet. It can understand and aggregate handwritten notes, test results, and geospatial and sensor data. Furthermore, it puts into account factors that do not seem critical for a particular course. These may include environmental factors whether human or natural. These factors are effectively analyzed to broaden the learning of a patient’s health. Besides, artificial intelligence can indicate future events that may arise in the health sector.

Disease control

The influence that AI has brought to the medical field is critical in the development of medications for today’s diseases. This includes chronic diseases and conditions that are coming up at an alarming rate. At the rate at which people are today traveling around the world, it is highly recommended that these diseases are treated or prevented. Quick response will reduce the number of new infections. This will end up saving lots of lives. Some conditions are, however, incurable. HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria do not have vaccines. The best option is prevention. On the brighter side, there has been an improvement in the control of common communicable diseases.

Development of new treatment methods

Childhood Leukemia and some cancers have also made some improvement positively in treatment in the last number of years. By the year 2020, recurrent cancer will have reached 57%. This is according to the World Health Organization statistics conducted by the use of AI. The survey also suggests that the cost of treatment will go down. New technological advancements include robotic surgery, cell biology, stem therapy, genomics and proteomics. The past decade has been marked with medical breakthroughs. This includes the healing of wounds by printing skin cells, blood vessel reproduction, and 3D printing of human body parts.

The use of the artificial eye has acquired vision levels. Electrical pulses transmitted by an implanted remote device assist in the reduction of pain from headaches. Eye surgeries have been rendered useless by the use of eye drops which dissolve cataracts. There is also an artificial pancreas that levels blood glucose to administer insulin according to dosage prescriptions. The primary purposes of AI in the health sector include virtual health assistance, illness diagnosis, and healthcare BOTS. Other functions performed by AI include the creation of drugs, heart sound interpretation, and the performance of repetitive tasks. They favor the elderly by providing companionship and provision of clinical training using avatars.

Conclusion

AI comes with numerous benefits. It is less expensive, provides better treatment plans, and facilitates virtual assistance that reduces the recovery time of the patient. Despite all the good it has brought, AI comes with some risks. For instance, safety and the ethical debate. It cannot be entirely looked up upon as it is not perfect. Doctors and patients are significantly affected by this new technology. It also requires constant data and program update for it to be reliable. AI faces some challenges, such as the training of doctors, its adoption in healthcare institutions, and the provision of regulations. The use of artificial intelligence meets the revolution of personalized medicine. Both are complementary to facilitate the proper treatment of patients.

Featured image via Unsplash.