Introduction
Artificial (or augmented) intelligence (AI) is not going to replace physicians.
Physicians and other healthcare professionals, should not view advances in AI and healthcare technology as “Doctor v. AI.” Instead, the relationship between the medical professionals and AI should be that of “The Digital Doctor and Medical AI.”
The AMA Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 9.2.6 states:
“Physicians should strive to further their medical education throughout their careers, to ensure that they serve patients to the best of their abilities and live up to professional standards of excellence.”
Digital medical algorithms, robots, AI devices, and humanoid assistants are newer medical tools designed specifically for use by most doctors and their healthcare team. In 2024, the value of using digital healthcare tools and devices has become significant and noticeable.
In 2022, an AMA survey [1] of 1,300 doctors demonstrated that there is increasing use of digital health tools in telemedicine and remote patient monitoring.
About 80% of doctors engaged in telehealth visits in 2022.
About 30% of doctors are using digital tools to help care for patients remotely.
Interestingly, 93% of primary care physicians and specialists said digital health tools can improve patient care. But the use of artificial (or augmented) intelligence in medical practices is lagging behind.
Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI, has been applied to tasks involving signal processing, such as electrocardiography and audiology, among others.
Doctors and AI devices can work together and excel in ways that individually they cannot.
The doctor is dexterous, works in a non-linear method, and adapts to ever-changing conditions and novel evolving situations. It is difficult to teach dexterity to a computer.
Doctors are difficult to replace because they have empathy when caring for the patient. It is difficult for an AI medical device to have empathy.
Doctors must be competent in digital technologies and be able to override the machine, particularly when the algorithms and robots cannot complete their tasks. Most doctors need specialized training in advanced health care technology.
Computers can rapidly compile a tremendous amount of data and evaluate datasets much quicker than humans.
Newer AI systems, such as the chatbot ChatGPT, have become so advanced that they now match or exceed human performance in tasks including reading comprehension, image classification and competition-level mathematics.
Stanford University’s 2024 AI Index charted the meteoric rise of artificial-intelligence tools. [2]
For example, here is a lady playing Go with an AI-powered robot developed by the firm SenseTime, based in Hong Kong.
Ability and Capacity of Computers
Computers can handle large datasets and perform complex calculations at lightning speed.
They can efficiently collect, organize, and store vast amounts of data. Whether it’s scientific research, financial records, or social media posts, computers can compile and manage data much faster than humans.
Computers excel in evaluating data. They can perform complex statistical analyses, machine learning algorithms, and simulations. For example, in terms of speed and accuracy, computer analyses of medical data to identify patterns in disease outbreaks are tasks beyond human capacity.
Computers operate in nanoseconds, whereas humans think in seconds or minutes. This speed advantage allows computers to process data in real-time. For example, in scientific research, simulations of physical phenomena (such as fluid dynamics or quantum mechanics) require massive calculations. Computers handle these computations swiftly, aiding scientific progress.
Thus, computers are indispensable for data-related tasks, but they complement rather than replace human intelligence. Together, doctors and AI form a powerful partnership in the world of data science and analysis.
Computer Challenges
Despite their speed, computers lack human intuition and creativity. They follow algorithms and rules, but they don’t “understand” the data in the way humans do.
Interpretation, context, and empathy are areas where humans still outperform computers. A human analyst can consider nuances that algorithms might miss.
Speed and efficiency may not always translate to accuracy.
Some bad or biased data may be inputted mostly inadvertently, and as a result machines get it wrong. AI devices may require human assistance or prompting.
Ensuring patient data privacy and security is crucial.
Digital tools can be used to help close disparities in healthcare among disadvantaged groups and advance health equity.
In 2021, a federal report on National Survey Trends in Telehealth Use[3] found that Black, Hispanic and Asian patients were less likely to use video telehealth services.
Most physicians do not buy the computers that they use in clinical practice. Hospitals do and they night be held accountable vicariously for the actions of the physicians and other healthcare professionals employed by the hospital. The ethical concerns and AI liability will be discussed at length in separate chapters.
Big Data Information Overload
The volume of medical data may also cause information overloading of machines. Big data are being generated by genomics, EHRs, smartphones and wearable devices, among others.
· The U.S. consumers use approximately 3 petabytes (3 million gigabytes) of internet data every minute.
Role of Physicians
Physicians should not serve as EHR data entry clerks. They should focus on actual care and use virtual assistants to collect and condense data, which is then entered virtually into the EHRs. Both the quality-of-care patients receive, and the work/life balance for clinicians are critical for everybody.
Historically, physicians have been burdened with administrative tasks, including manual data entry into EHR systems. This detracts from their primary role: providing quality healthcare to patients. Spending hours inputting patient histories, diagnoses, medications, and treatment plans takes away precious time that could be better utilized for direct patient interactions.
Instead, Virtual Medical (or Health) Assistants (VMAs) can play a pivotal role in streamlining data collection. They can interact with patients, gather relevant information, and summarize it for physicians.
VMAs (or VHAs) can process data faster and more accurately than humans. This efficiency benefits both patients and clinicians. For example, a VMA can conduct initial interviews, record symptoms, and compile a concise report. This allows physicians to focus on clinical decision-making rather than manual data entry.
When physicians are relieved of data entry duties, they can dedicate more attention to patients. This leads to better diagnoses, personalized treatment plans, and improved outcomes. By delegating administrative tasks, physicians can achieve a healthier work/life balance and avoid burnout, which is a significant concern among healthcare professionals.
AI Can Reshape Healthcare
Artificial intelligence can help reshape healthcare, particularly in identifying patients before adverse events. For example, Mayo Clinic researchers have found AI could help spot patients at risk of stroke or cognitive decline, and identify complications in pregnant patients.[4]
Mayo Clinic researchers reported that AI-enabled electrocardiography (ECG) identified the presence of brief episodes of atrial fibrillation, and was able to predict atrial fibrillation up to 10 years before clinical diagnosis has been confirmed in a population-based study.
Another study from Mayo Clinic showed that the AI-enabled EKG algorithm can help identify patients at greater risk of cognitive decline. Also, the AI-enabled ECG study showed a high probability that atrial fibrillation was associated with the presence of infarctions, or incidents of cerebral stroke, on MRI.
Conclusion
Physicians and other healthcare professionals, should not view advances in AI and healthcare technology as “Doctor v. AI.” The relationship between the medical professionals and AI needs to be that of “The Digital Doctor and Medical AI.” AI cannot and is not going to replace physicians, but physicians who use AI will replace those who don’t.
References
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