Like most people, I have been both fascinated and appalled at the rapid pace that generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT have infiltrated almost every industry since their introduction. As a reporter and editor, I fear being replaced by a program that can turn out copy in seconds, versus the hours it may take me to craft the “perfect” article.
However, the promise of AI to streamline clinician workflow, saving providers hours on routine tasks such as real-time dictation, is one I can get behind. In a recent article published on clinicaladvisor.com, Dipu Patel, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, and Vishal Patel discussed the ways digital health can improve clinical practice and patient care. “For providers, task automation of documentation, letter writing, and prior authorizations for medical devices and medications will improve the coordination of care,” they wrote.
Perhaps more exciting are recent studies suggesting that “AI modeling can aid in risk stratifying patients for stroke, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes complications” as well as cancer screening and interpreting diagnostic imaging, to name a few, noted the authors.
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The majority of readers of The Clinical Advisor also see a major role for AI in medicine. In a recent poll, readers were asked, which area of medicine do you see AI playing the largest role? Almost 16% responded in teaching patients about their disease states; 11.2% said in creating mitigation strategies for chronic diseases; 5.6% said in creating deep learning algorithms for diagnostic imaging; and the majority (60.7%) said all of the above. Only 6.7% responded with none of the above.
The potential for AI to enhance the diagnosis and management of diseases is one of the great promises of digital health. The health care industry is embracing this technology as reported by The Huddle, investing heavily in AI-enhanced clinical and nonclinical workflows.
Anything that can improve the diagnosis and management of patients should be welcomed news.
Nikki Kean
Director, The Clinical Advisor
From the July/August 2023 Issue of Clinical Advisor
