BearingPoint’s Sohini De discusses the technologies transforming the healthcare sector and how organisations and experts can leverage advancements.
New technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), have the power to completely transform the healthcare industry. Especially in the areas that most affect patients, as well as other stakeholders, for example clinicians and carers.
By enhancing diagnostic accuracy, enabling early intervention and reducing instances of unnecessary referrals, advanced technologies can improve patient outcomes in a number of ways.
“AI can support clinicians in prioritising urgent cases,” explained Sohini De, the head of healthcare and innovation at BearingPoint Ireland. “Continuous assessment through monitors facilitates early intervention, proactive treatment and management leading to hospital admission avoidance.”
Additionally, improved data analytics can help with understanding population trends and insights to better inform healthcare policies and resourcing.
“AI can streamline administrative processes, increasing patient throughput and improving decision-making in care settings, including community healthcare. As well as speed up drug development, providing quicker access to new treatments and tailored therapies aligned to individual needs,” said De.
Intelligent integration
She noted that “engaging and empowering clinicians, patients and carers is crucial in technology adoption”, but for professionals to be in the position to achieve this, they first need to understand what those technologies are capable of, the benefits they can bring and who is likely to be impacted by those benefits.
“Next comes understanding how to use it. That is a continuous process of training, application and ongoing support. This second stage is critical to embed and enhance use, including expanding its adoption to meet other needs.
“AI can support the full care lifecycle, from prevention to managing complex issues. When these solutions are co-created with clinical teams and patients, they can help patients and their care teams to enhance patient care and reduce healthcare system burdens.”
De said that a number of organisations and institutions operating in Europe have intelligently integrated a range of game-changing technologies. Take for example the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which makes use of predictive modelling for resource allocation.
With this technology the hospital can predict patient admissions and optimise the use of crucial resources such as beds, staff and equipment, ensuring that supplies are available when needed, reducing waste and enhancing the quality of care.
Similarly, De noted, the Royal Free Hospital in London, UK, uses AI diagnostic assistance tools to help diagnose disease and analyse medical images and patient data. This can be incredibly helpful to radiologists in particular as they aim to detect anomalies in X-rays and MRIs in a shorter time frame.
Closer to home, Dublin’s Mater Hospital recently open a Centre for AI and Digital Health to oversee the adoption of AI tools and to coordinate collaborative AI research across the various departments in the hospital.
Benefits and risks
While advanced technologies have much to offer the healthcare space, specifically in the areas of early detection, symptom checks and trends analysis, there are also a number of key considerations to take into account.
“Stakeholder buy-in and collaboration with human experts are crucial,” said De. “Data security and data quality must be prioritised, with strong data governance and controls in place.”
Furthermore, there is a responsibility to ensure that the datasets from which information is being pulled and leveraged are of a consistently high quality that is representative of real-world dynamics and demographics. De gives the example of women’s health here, saying that there is “a lack of data quality and quantity”, and this “can raise the risk of poor outcomes”.
“As a result, training datasets must be evaluated for accuracy, to avoid bias and ensure reliable AI models. Also, to maximise the benefits of AI, patient pathways often need to be redesigned and it will need to consider benefits for patients and clinicians alike.
“AI enhances diagnostic accuracy, but it’s crucial to address data privacy, algorithm bias and ethical considerations, including patient preferences. Continuous monitoring and human oversight are essential to validate AI systems and ensure they align with patient rights.”
For the successful implementation of truly advanced and transformative innovations, De is of the opinion that it is vital that organisations and institutions focus not just on the technologies themselves, but also the people and processes at the core.
“Developing a clear vision for AI transformation supporting clinical decisions and automating tasks, can allow healthcare professionals to focus on patient care. Leadership must recognise the key role they play in fostering collaboration among clinicians, administrators and specialists.”
Acknowledging that no two people experience a transformation the same way, she said that professionals and their organisations can navigate change by developing awareness, enhancing understanding, receiving consistent training and support, and engaging with feedback opportunities.
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