The topic of artificial intelligence has caused a stir in recent months. News about ChatGPT and smart image processing software, as well as discussions about the opportunities and dangers of AI, have been making the headlines ever since. It is often overlooked that the use of AI has been tested and further developed in a wide variety of areas for years. In human medicine, too, technology is seen by many as a beacon of hope. Numerous patients are already benefiting from the ever-increasing range of possible applications.
AI as a smart medical assistant
Artificial intelligence has made enormous progress in recent years and has also become an important topic in medicine. This refers to systems and technologies that are able to simulate human-like thinking and learning processes. In the medical world, these AI models open up a wide range of possible applications that offer great benefits to both doctors and patients. The targeted and at the same time comprehensive use of AI has the potential to revolutionize medical practice. Specialized software can already analyze large amounts of medical data to then look for specific parameters and patterns that would be difficult for doctors to grasp. In this way, the accuracy and efficiency of diagnoses and treatments can be significantly improved.
In addition, AI can also play a role in predicting disease risk and creating personalized treatment plans. By analyzing data such as genome sequencing, biomarkers, and clinical information, AI programs are able to create individualized risk profiles and help physicians design tailored therapies. Of course, the need for trained specialists increases with the possible applications. There is already fierce competition for specialized IT specialists on the labor market, which means that the digitization of the healthcare system is progressing slowly in many places. Politics, institutions and business are already taking countermeasures. IT coursesthe expansion of the digital infrastructure and targeted employer branding should ensure more young IT talent in the medical environment in the next few years.
Always more Areas of application conceivable
The keyword AI is used as a collective term for a whole range of different technological concepts, which is why the range of applications is correspondingly large. As a rule, with AI these days, the so-called "Weak Artificial Intelligence" meaning that can be used to solve specific problems. In medicine, the main focus is on optimizing patient care. An extremely promising application is in the field of imaging processes. AI can help improve image analysis and diagnostic accuracy, automatically analyzing X-rays, CT scans or MRI images. In this way, anomalies and pathological changes can be detected and identified at an early stage.
In addition, AI can use patient data to determine the individual risk for a specific disease. Such a smart, "predictive analysis" is currently still in its infancy, but in a few years it could open up a whole range of possibilities for prevention in medicine. AI is already extremely important in robotic surgery. The AI support allows operations to be made even safer and more precise. To do this, the AI application collects real-time data from the operating room and medical records and provides situation-specific helpful information that allows incisions to be made more precisely and the risk of complex procedures to be minimized.
DIN standards should create new standards
The extremely fast progress in the field of AI research brings with it different questions in many respects. It's not just about technical feasibility, but also about where and how AI should be used in the first place. Of course, this topic is particularly important in medical applications, since it is literally about the lives of patients. Standards and norms can help to ensure the quality of AI-supported medical services and products and thus gain the trust of citizens. A separate one has already been set up in Germany for this purpose DIN working committee was founded to agree on a regulatory framework.
The top priority is the well-being of the patients. Specific guidelines are intended to ensure that AI applications in medicine are reliable, accurate and as low-risk as possible. In addition, binding standards promote the quality of AI tools in medical practice. They define criteria that can be used to evaluate the performance and reliability of AI systems. This makes it easier for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions and access trusted and high-quality applications and services.
challenges future developments
The integration of artificial intelligence into medicine involves technical as well as legal and ethical challenges. Data protection and the protection of privacy are of the utmost importance in this context. A main task will be to develop clear guidelines and ethical standards for a transparent and responsible handling of AI applications in the medical field. On the technical side, the development requires further adjustments to the infrastructure, the creation of interfaces and best practices for training medical staff. Some skin cancer detection programs are already superior to humans. Nevertheless, the continuous development of AI algorithms, the growth of data resources and more powerful hardware platforms still offer a lot of potential for further progress in almost all known application areas. Both research and everyday practice have yet to become aware of the true chances and possibilities. Future developments could bring about groundbreaking changes and completely redefine medical professions. A responsible implementation of AI could make a significant contribution to improving patient care in the long term.
06/26/2023