Artificial Intelligence (AI) is
beginning to play a major role in the healthcare system, aiding doctors to
diagnose disease at a quicker speed, records management, and even surgery
assistance. Although there are important opportunities and advantages that AI
offers, there are also important challenges which must be looked at properly
and meaningfully to ensure that the system is fair, safe, and effective to all.
Lack of Human Touch in Patient Care
In healthcare, one of the most
significant aspects of it is the relationship of doctor and patient. AI can do
things quicker and more accurately than a human can, however, it can provide no
emotional presence and comfort to a patient. To many patients, nothing is more
comforting than speaking to a human doctor - especially when they may be
dealing with serious health issues. If we go too far in replacing roles with
machines, we may lose the care that healthcare should provide and it will
become more mechanical.
The best way to address this is to
use AI in a capacity that supports the doctor, not replace them. Human
interaction should always be the focus in the patient care experience. Training
programs could be used to help doctors understand how to use AI in a way that
does not compromise their ability to interact with their patients.
Risk of Errors and Misdiagnosis
AI systems rely on big data to make
decisions. If the data is incomplete, incorrect or biased, then the results can
be harmful. For example, if an AI system is supposed to provide a diagnosis and
there is not enough diversity in ages or ethnicities in the training data, the
AI could arrive at a wrong diagnosis, leading to inadequate treatment, or,
worse, injure the patient.
To prevent the types of poor
performance just described, the data used for training AI must be audited as
well as, frequently updated, with data including examples from different kinds
of people in order to ensure equity. Finally, in all circumstances there needs
to be a human expert that will double check the AI's output results before any
significant decisions are made.
Privacy and Data Security Issues
AI in healthcare needs patient
information including medical history, test results and personal
information. This can open up questions
of privacy. If that information ends up in the wrong hands, then it could be manipulated
and used in a harmful way. There are also risks for patients from cyber attacks
and data leaks.
To keep patient information secure,
hospitals and companies can use security footage. Then they can encrypt data
and restrict the number of departments that have access. Patients will need to
be informed of how their data is being applied and also have the choice to
allow or restrict use.
Job Losses in the Healthcare Industry
AI can do some things faster and
better than humans, like read medical images or manage records. This may
ultimately lead to many healthcare workers losing their jobs. Nurses, lab
staff, and potentially some doctors may feel threatened because they think
their jobs can be done by machines.
However, AI should not be thought of
as a substitute for human workers. AI should be used as a substitution for
simple tasks, allowing healthcare workers to make decisions about complexities
that have meaning. Furthermore, governments and health institutions should be
providing training to help workers learn how to work with AI and remain
valuable members of the changing workforce system.
Overdependence on Technology
As AI grows in healthcare, there is
a real possibility of doctors and hospitals losing their independence and
relying to heavily on an AI system. That will pose dire consequences if the AI
has a malfunction or makes a bad recommendation. In that case, if doctors have
relinquished their own judgement to AI, the patients are the ultimate victim.
Therefore, it is important for
medical staff to remain engaged in the decision-making process. AI should be
treated as an assistant, not the decision-maker. Doctors should always learn
and practice their skills so that they are a ready and capable when the need
arises from advanced technology.
Conclusion
AI could ultimately have a
significant effect on healthcare improvement by increasing speed and
efficiency. Nevertheless, there are some negatives of AI that cannot be
overlooked. The reduction of human connections; errors; the chance of privacy
violations; working in ways causing job insecurity; and relying too heavily on
machines could all endanger our health and safety systems if we are not
careful. However, with thoughtful use of AI, keeping human subject matter
experts as the focus of care, we'll be able to create an innovative system with
compassionate care.
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