Shantanu Thatte, Head-Medical Equipment Planning, HOSMAC talks about the role of AI in the healthcare industry
The Indian healthcare sector is undergoing a transformation with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Indian healthcare AI industry is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40 per cent from 2019 to 2025, according to a NASSCOM analysis. According to the report, AI has the ability to help Indian healthcare providers overcome some of their biggest obstacles, including the lack of medical experts, poor access to treatment in rural regions, and the need for more proactive and preventative care.
Medical imaging
AI in MRI and CT imaging is the new boon in the radiology segment which allows deep learning of every organ of the body under scan. AI based tools have eliminated the redundant and manual ways of scanning a patient’s body which further simplifies the life of radiologists. For instance, the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Delhi has created a technology that uses artificial intelligence to detect oral cancer in its early stage. The algorithm analyses oral image data using machine learning to find early cancer signs.
New algorithms and new technology coils allow better patient compliance, assist in auto-planning and safety, help in monitoring the patient’s vital signs without any extra gadgets, minimize the risk of re-scan, and remove the artifacts post-acquisition. Today a patient while under scan can breathe freely without any body strap and watch a movie of his / her interest during the time of examination. AI has managed to reduce the MRI scanning time to half of its original time thereby reducing the overall TAT. How many such AI applications can pave a roadmap for the other modalities across all clinical specialties is to be witnessed and experienced in the future!
Analysis of Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHRs can be analysed by AI algorithms to find patterns and indicators of risk that human doctors might overlook. Using this technology, it is possible to identify patients who are at a high risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease. The combination of wearable health technologies and EHRs can increase the accuracy of this prediction. Consequently, it makes it possible for medical professionals to act sooner and aid in delaying the onset of these conditions. One of India’s major healthcare organisations, Apollo Hospitals, recently teamed up with Microsoft to create an AI-powered cardiovascular disease risk score. The AI program predicts a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease using information from medical records and lifestyle variables. This allows more proactive and preventative therapy.
Addressing the healthcare crisis
If we take the WHO-recommended minimum doctor-population ratio of 1:1000, there is a shortage of nearly 4 lakh doctors in India. The geographical distribution of doctors is also markedly skewed with most of them practicing in urban areas, which in turn results in limited medical services in rural and isolated areas. Although AI cannot be expected to be a cure-all for this crisis; it can certainly help alleviate it to some extent.
According to research by Accenture, AI might save the Indian healthcare sector $4.4 billion by 2025. The paper also highlighted how AI might boost the delivery of healthcare by automating repetitive jobs and freeing up healthcare personnel to concentrate on more difficult tasks. It also showed the potential for chatbots and virtual assistants powered by AI to give patients in remote locations basic medical advice. One such hospital in India that is already using this technology is Narayana Health. It uses a technology that automates mundane procedures and shortens patient wait times to increase the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
Challenges
There are issues that need to be resolved despite the potential advantages of AI in healthcare. Lack of access to reliable data is one of the main problems. To be trained efficiently, AI systems require a lot of high-quality data. In India, there are not many EHRs that are standardised, and the data is frequently jumbled and unfinished. As a result, Healthcare providers may find it challenging to create and apply AI solutions.
Another concern that needs to be addressed is the question of ethical and regulatory considerations to ensure that AI is used in a responsible and safe manner in the Indian healthcare industry. For example, there is a risk that AI algorithms may perpetuate biases and discrimination if they are trained on biased data. Therefore, it is important to ensure that AI algorithms are trained on diverse and representative data to avoid perpetuating biases.
Additionally, there are issues with the security and privacy of medical data. Sensitive healthcare data may be jeopardised since AI systems must be educated on enormous volumes of data. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that the right security measures are in place to protect healthcare data and guarantee that it is only used for specific purposes.
AI, therefore, has the ability to transform the Indian healthcare sector by bringing new approaches to disease detection, treatment, and prevention.
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