AI can be described as the science and engineering of intelligent machines. AI is currently used in medicine in a various number of ways, this includes the use of AI in imaging and in biosensors (wearables) to name a few. There is hope that AI will become more greatly implemented into medicine in the upcoming years to improve patient outcomes with promising results already being shown in research.
AI can be used to improve patient outcomes by its involvement in diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring. AI could potentially be involved in the improvement of medical alerts.
This is shown by the use of AI technology in acute kidney injury (AKI).
AKI is a disease in which your kidneys suddenly stop functioning properly.
The current alerts of AKI (used by organisations such as the NHS) are only available after the injury has occurred. This is detrimental as not only does it increase the cost associated with disease management, but it also provides the patient with the potential to develop conditions associated with AKI such as chronic kidney disease.
The ability of AI to read electronic health care data in real-time in hospitals and present it with context could aid the development of a preventative AKI alert system. This would predict AKI before it occurs, thus improving the outcomes for the patients.
In 2016, DeepMind and the Royal Free Hospital entered a data-sharing agreement with the aim of developing an AKI alert app. The Streams App was created and uses the national AKI database to predict AKI. The aspiration is that with the addition of AI running alongside this app, the prediction of AKI would be greatly improved further helping patients.
Sources
https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/news/royal-free-london-publishes-audit-streams-app Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board