Artificial intelligence conquers Healthcare, especially in the pharmacological sector where private capital invested exceeds 14 billion dollars, although not in all Western countries there is a uniform application. Going to analyze the individual data, in fact, it emerges that between Europe, the United States and China there is a gap in the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), especially in healthcare. In Italy the application projects of artificial intelligence in healthcare are different, as well as the centers of excellence where collaboration between research and technology is encouraged, but there are still many open questions.

Improving Diagnosis and Treatment through Artificial Intelligence

Improving diagnosis and treatment through artificial intelligence is possible if all actors work in synergy. It is an activity that must combine the needs of the patient, the company and the health personnel, taking into account the risks that can hide new technologies. All the interactions between patients, doctors and nurses are kept track to ensure that the three souls of the project collaborate closely, at which point technological solutions are created and every notion given to the user must be certified.

A check that must be done before an intervention, during and subsequently, keeping track of all the data in a maniacal way. Having a complete dataset means in a short time knowing the characteristics and history of a patient in order to define the diagnosis and predict any future health risks thanks to an algorithm. Thanks to apps it is already possible with simple questions addressed to the patient to know the state of health and direct him to a specialist for a visit when risk factors are detected.

Four Macro Areas of Development

Artificial intelligence in Healthcare has four macro-areas of development so that doctor and patient can interact, benefiting from these properties:

    • Increased diagnostics: thanks to a system that allows you to cross patient data with a database, it is possible to obtain a very precise diagnosis.
    • Self-diagnosis: thanks to an application, the patient dialogues with artificial intelligence that suggests what to do if it detects risk factors, whether to contact a specialist or making health facilities interact.
    • Drugs: in this context, artificial intelligence allows to support the early development of new drugs, can decrease the time spent in the discovery phases and speed up the most critical aspects in the discovery itself and in the preclinical phases.
    • Robotics: From surgery and rehabilitation to day-to-day tasks in hospitals, but also in pharmacy and research, robots can play a fundamental role in the modernization of services to protect patients’ health.

Data protection, the role of the GDPR

Established that the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare allows to improve diagnosis and treatment, it is necessary to understand how to manage data. If the data has been provided for treatment purposes, therefore, it cannot be used, for example, for research without a new consent. Lawyers have often wondered about the subject.

Speaking of completeness of the data, it tries to guarantee the system as much as possible, but there must always be a human control at the base because it has a different sensitivity from the algorithm. There will always be an open interpretative activity ready to incorporate what are the changes in technology and in this perspective a revision of the professions induced by technology is declined.

In Conclusion

Overall, AI’s role in transforming healthcare is immense, with the potential to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. However, it is crucial to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is responsible and ethical, with the safety and well-being of patients at the forefront.