Artificial intelligence (AI) is mandatory to enable preventive medicine, proper diagnosis & treatment, and optimal allocation of resources.
An in-depth analysis using the SWOT model (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of the need for artificial intelligence in medical services indicates an immediate need to design an artificial intelligence system that will serve as a platform for all advanced medical services in the 21st century.
Introduction - Global Trends in Medical and Healthcare Services.
- Adolescent population. (In many countries around the world)
- Chronic morbidity (of all kinds) is on the rise.
- Highly advanced medical technology produces a lot of information.
- The amount of information the doctor must process in minutes is impossible!
- Prolonged and profound shortage of physicians and medical staff. The duration of training of doctors and medical staff is long.
- Multiple working hours of physicians and treating staff decreases the quality of diagnosis and treatment.
Lack of medical services is inevitable! Queues are a matter of routine, and the price of medical services is steadily rising.
SWOT analysis regarding the initiation of artificial intelligence in medicine.
Strengths of artificial intelligence in medicine.
Allows the creation of a platform for all the information essential to maintaining our health. The project can be carried out in a modular manner.
From an economic-social point of view.
- Enables effective preventative medicine before the patient has already fallen ill!
- Improved diagnoses (fewer false diagnoses.) and treatments.
- Better allocation of resources. Shorter queues. Minimization of health expenses.
- Freeing up time will allow doctors to focus on cases with the advantage of human contact.
From the public's perspective.
- Full availability of information anywhere in the world. No need to file multiple papers.
- Much less bureaucracy and visits to doctors whose primary purpose is a referral (to a specialist doctor or complementary tests)
- Reducing the prices of medical services will benefit the weaker sections of the population.
The outcome >> Improved satisfaction of the general population.
Weaknesses of artificial intelligence in medicine.
Establishing databases and a computing platform for all medical services will require legislation and budgeting.
- Efficiency means that in the long run, most services of the medical secretariat will almost disappear. (Opposition from unionized workers is expected)
- A very complex project, with a lot of politics and interested parties.
- The personal connection between the medical staff and the patient will dissipate.
Opportunities of artificial intelligence in medicine. The 21st Century Revolution in Medical Services.
A platform that will support the advanced technological infrastructure of medical services for the coming decades and the enormous challenges of medicine.
- Without a platform that will merge all the vast information on nutrition, lifestyle, preventive medicine, diagnosis, and various treatments. (Some are futuristic) It will not be possible to meet the needs of the population. Custom medicine requires a lot of data from different sources. It is imperative to produce such integration with a sophisticated and modular platform.
Threats of artificial intelligence in medicine.
- Databases that centralize sensitive personal information will require top-level information security.
- Abuse by private entities, after people will be tempted to allow commercial entities access to personal data.
- Loss of "human" contact with the treating staff, especially in routine non-emergency encounters.
What information can be integrated into an artificial intelligence platform?
- Detailed information on nutrition and lifestyle.
- Family heredity and personal genetic decipherment.
- Preventive medicine and various vaccines.
- History of visits to doctors, hospitalizations, psychiatry.
- Medications that the patient has taken in the past and present.
- Financial, insurance, and managerial information.
As new modules are added, the system will be able to be more efficient and give more detailed recommendations.
Who can carry out the project? Where does the funding for such a mega-project come from?
Governments must initiate the project because legislation and supervision of the project are required. Executing the project modularly will be carried out as is customary by commercial companies in tenders.
- The project, estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars over a decade or more, can be financed through the issuance of tradable bonds to the public for 20-25 years.
- Since a project is expected to facilitate significantly medical services, a financial structure can be created in which the public that buys the bonds will enjoy an excess yield derived from the vast savings in health budgets.
- A government guarantee for bondholders and a safety net in meeting milestones throughout the life of the project will ensure that the state raises funds at relatively low debt prices (without spending surplus funds on regular health budgets)
The huge challenge is not only technological but also methodological! Artificial intelligence is built on algorithms.
The medical establishment and its branches must sharpen and formulate a guiding philosophy. Otherwise, medicine will continue to treat the symptoms of chronic diseases instead of the causes, which are usually not fully known. Bringing professionals in medicine, psychiatry, nutrition, and more to sweeping agreements is a particularly challenging task. Still, it is no less necessary than setting up an artificial intelligence platform.
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Artificial intelligence in the service of medicine is a necessity. By the mid of the 21st century, it will already operate because there is simply no other alternative! The main cost of artificial intelligence would be the loss of human touch during routine encounters. The resource savings are enormous on every scale. The high yield of an artificial intelligence project will justify the vast infrastructure investment in its construction. Implementing artificial intelligence will greatly impact the whole medical industry.
Executing a project of this magnitude takes years and must come through a government initiative. The planning and infrastructure should start immediately.
