As I write this, the world is facing a pandemic. We are fighting an enemy we cannot see. Doctors and nurses are normally our last hope, in fact, our only hope. But with the spread of the coronavirus, they continue to fear, and some are even willing to quit their jobs. Well, we can avoid such fears with the use of technology. Artificial Intelligence(AI) is the way to go. This will help minimize contacts between patients and medics, thus minimizing transmission of infections. But is that the only reason why we should go the AI way? Well, there’s more to AI than fight pandemics. Keep reading to find out how AI will change the medical science scene.
Efficiency
Humans at work give optimum results when at rest, stress-free and when they feel their effort and compensation match. But, in a world of inadequate resources, creating such conditions for human resources is next to impossible. That means, with the worsening of the economy and working conditions, workers will keep complaining and will keep falling short of their full potential.
That said, it’s time to think about efficiency generally. They say efficiency is measured with time. When you do more work for a shorter time with better results, you can be called efficient. Medics are also humans and will definitely get overwhelmed with the increasing number of patients with different types of complicated infections.
How about we use robots? AI could go a long way in saving medics their time and increase productivity in hospitals. While doctors get tired due to their human nature as they see more patients in their days and careers, robots are just machines and will rarely get tired at any one point. In fact, if well-programmed, they could work on and on, without limits.
Reduced brick and mortar medical facilities
With technology, it is not anymore about buildings but ideas. AI makes it simple to carry out the same task with ease in an advanced way instead of the previously existing procedures. Some will be forced to use online platforms for consultation and avoid visiting hospitals like they previously did. This will mean a loss of jobs for hospitals that will not be willing to adjust. Slowly by slowly, they will experience a downfall in the number of patients visiting their clinics.
Although it will take time for people to adapt to non-human medics, they will have to. As trends show, it looks like physically visiting hospitals will be riskier than ever before. For that reason, most people will shift behavior as more dangerous viruses come up. AI will ensure health is well taken care of in the most efficient way possible.
Redundancy will be taken care of
A human being must be taken care of, whether there’s business or not. When using a machine, issues of redundancy will be settled. A machine only consumes maintenance fees. Unless there’s work done, a machine will consume anything. When a business goes down, it will be hard to lay off or even cut your employees’ salaries. Robots need no salary. They are programmed to work only when needed. The only costs will be during the development costs.
This will redefine medicine. Patients will also have a new experience with robots made of artificial intelligence. In the beginning, it won’t be easy accepting this fate. But, with time, we have to get used to this fact. Furthermore, the introduction of technology will help reduce the exposure of both patients and medics to deadly infections.
Better solutions
We’ve heard of mistaken identity cases in third-world countries, even in the world’s leading economies. It’s so bad sometimes that people lose their lives or never regain their previous health conditions. With AI, we can avoid this. No robot will attempt to perform surgery on the wrong patient as long as the programming is done right. Why is this the case?
Well, robots do not display high levels of incompetence as most medics do. These incompetences end up spoiling everything. With healthcare being a delicate field, the chances of losing loved ones go up and rapidly.
The Challenges in adopting AI
Every invention has its time. While the time for AI is here, it won’t be easy to adopt the same fully. It will take time, money, and effort. Resistance from both medics and patients will make the use of AI in healthcare a hard nut to crack.
In the beginning, patients will be afraid to meet these robots. That won’t be the hardest part. Medics may fight the technology, feeling they will lose their jobs because of their better efficiency. For that reason, healthcare investors will have to press harder to have these inventions adopted fully.
Another issue will be government regulations. Most governments treat disruptive technologies as criminal and thus attack them or fight them. They lead campaigns against them and completely ban others sometimes. Most individuals willingly and openly listen to everything their leaders say. Therefore, they refuse to see the big and better difference they will miss when such a major invention is halted from taking place.
Some countries have already adopted the technology. While the media has not given this courageous step enough limelight, the wave that will follow campaigning for the technology will be unstoppable. It will come to a time when AI is everything in the healthcare industry. Then, patient encounters and outcomes will tremendously improve.
Conclusion
AI will change the world for the best of us all. At the moment, most major organizations in healthcare and other industries are slowly phasing in technology. That said, it is time for everyone to rise and support the adoption of AI. Those who think they will lose their jobs are the high time they reshaped their thought process. If anything, AI will increase jobs, only that the job descriptions will vary a bit.