Vol 3. wRAP #4: May 18 - Jun 18, 2023 || When Poetry Meets Healthcare News

Nostalgia can very often be more than just an emotional lens.

Consider the dreams and desires of your parents and their friends!

Education and career aspirations were presented to them as being binary.

For most, it was engineering OR medicine – everything else was just ordinary!

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When, at the turn of the century, the world was on the verge,

The two hitherto separate streams slowly began to fuse and merge.

Biomedical engineering, nuclear medicine – they invented a new set of terms.

The vocabulary expanded rapidly beyond just viruses, bacteria, and germs.

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Medical technology allowed researchers to design artificial organs, like hearts.

3D printing was used to design and create finger joints, perhaps even other parts.

From pharma to biopharma, diagnostics to devices, people are breaking every fence.

The biggest player on the healthcare block is also the scariest: artificial intelligence.

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Hype versus Hope: AI’s Slippery Slope!

As AI’s usage, from ChatGPT to other business uses has grown and accelerated,

Advancements in medical technology that use AI should be, and is, celebrated.

From all the expressed awe, it seems we have arrived at technology’s pinnacle.

In healthcare, many appear to believe AI will achieve the next medical miracle.

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Context moderates expectations. AI is not one, but a collection of technologies.

Machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, are some methodologies.

AI has been used since the 1970s, focused on therapy and some diagnostics.

Experience suggests we delay becoming converts, and for a while, stay agnostic.

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Fiction, Fact, and AI’s Impact

Compared to others, healthcare’s digital maturity was slow in the innovation race.

One study found that it lagged others by a decade; regulation affected its pace.

Patient records’ safety was paramount, so the focus is on data security arrangement.

Investment in business operations was made, but not enough in patient engagement.

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Precision medicine is one of the major outcomes of AI’s healthcare applications.

In images, it uncovered trends leading to better diagnosis and treatment implications.

Its potential role is spoken of excitedly in manufacturing and new drug discovery.

Imagine cures for hitherto untreatable diseases and extraordinary patient recovery.

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A word of caution, however: While AI can be applied across a number of spheres,

Delivering on the full promise, the technology can take more than just a few years.

Horizontal or Perpendicular, General or Particular?

Despite pandemics, NCDs or chronic conditions are still the biggest problem in health.

This remains true across countries, irrespective of their economic status or wealth.?

AI’s buzzwords are predictive analytics, personalized medicine and disease detection

Currently, at least, most initiatives in diagnostics and therapy are going in this direction.

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The biggest use of AI is in diagnostic radiology and analysis of medical images.

With modern telecommunications, the pictures can be from remote villages!

Data is the lifeblood of AI for its impact to be most effective.

Some use cases showcase interesting possibilities and perspective.

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One area of concern is that despite having terabytes of data that have been collected,

Some studies say very little is used to best effect: not what you might have expected.

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Serious or Light, What about Patient Insight?

Most of the conversation around AI is centered on healthcare providers.

Hospitals, doctors, and healthcare systems. Are patients going to be outsiders?

One survey found that more than two-thirds thought AI provided a good service.

Yet, nearly a third said that getting an AI-generated diagnosis made them nervous.

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Research suggests that patient understanding of AI is poorly defined.

Communications on AI and its diagnostic implications have to be refined.

Oddly, some found that younger patients are more uncomfortable with it.

Others suggest patients want their doctors to decide, and if they permit.

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If patient centricity is to have real meaning and impact,

They should be integral to discussions, and how they react.

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What’s the Hook on the Outlook?

The post-pandemic challenges call for a re-assessment of the landscape.

There are new ones, and from the old ones, there still is no escape.

The shortage of healthcare professionals isn’t going to be resolved soon.

Yet AI can find solutions to problems to which they were hitherto immune.

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Some changes seem more likely, like more careful regulation.

A lot of ideas about the future of AI are already in circulation.

Start-ups around the world are developing health apps for all.

The momentum will not be linear; more likely it will rise and fall.

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The enthusiasm and excitement of innovators continue to shine bright.

Ambitions, new ideas, innovation, and dreams will continue to take flight.

End Note

In the world of natural language processing (NLP) and robotics

We’ll still be talking about medicines, therapies, and antibiotics.

The language will include Application Programming Interfaces

With Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, but in different phases.

Until next time, then, stay safe and stay well.

After all, there are still so many stories to tell.