The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is in full swing. Its impact is sweeping across the country and the globe, leaving few industries untouched. The healthcare industry in particular is projected to change significantly as AI technology becomes more and more commonplace in hospitals and boardrooms. Analysts estimate that artificial intelligence will save the healthcare industry as much as $150 billion annually by 2026.
If your company operates in the healthcare sector, it’s crucial that it keeps up with these changes. With that in mind, we’ve put together an overview of how AI is changing healthcare in this country and the changes that analysts expect it to make moving forward. Keep reading to learn more.
Maintaining Wellness Has Never Been Easier
One of the biggest use cases for AI in healthcare is in consumer health applications. Mobile apps have made it easier than ever for the average person to stay on top of their health and wellness. AI will make these applications even more powerful.
It will help users discover new ways to manage their health by developing deep insights into the nature of human behavior. This information can be used by healthcare professionals so that they can provide their patients with more accurate guidance for staying healthy.
Detecting Disease Earlier Than Ever
Solving some of the most challenging diseases depends on our ability to detect them early. AI is helping tremendously with this. For example, it’s currently being used to improve the accuracy of mammogram results, which will reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies that need to be completed.
Similarly, AI is being integrated into consumer wearables and other medical devices. When placed in these devices, AI can be used to detect things like early-stage heart disease sooner than was ever possible before. This early detection could literally be a life or death difference for some patients.
Improved Decision Making
Another major factor in determining healthcare outcomes is decision-making. Time is often of the essence, and a patient’s care staff needs to be able to respond correctly and quickly to unforeseen health events. Artificial intelligence is making this easier.
For example, AI is using pattern recognition to identify patients who are facing an increased risk of certain conditions. It’s being combined with big health data to provide powerful predictive analytics with tremendous potential.
Enabling New Research
The process of creating a new drug is incredibly expensive and lengthy. It takes an average of 12 years for a drug to go from research lab to patient–and only one out of every 5,000 drugs is even tested on humans.
AI is making the research process easier on the companies that develop life-saving treatments. It’s streamlining the drug discovery and drug repurposing pipelines to enable valuable developments to occur at a much faster pace.
Changing End of Life Care
End-of-life care promises to be significantly different in the coming years as compared to what it has been. AI is being used in combination with robotics to provide companionship to older adults who are isolated.
It’s already possible for older adults to have “conversations” and other social interactions with robots. These keep the mind sharp and help the older adult to feel less lonely. The technology is still in its early stages but promises to only grow moving forward.
Where Does Your Healthcare Company Fit In?
With so much happening in AI and healthcare, you might start to wonder how your company will fit into all of these changes. The answer will depend on what you do, to be sure. But one of the main ways that healthcare companies are using AI right now is in their mobile applications and websites.
Artificial intelligence can generate powerful insights into your customers’ behaviors and preferences. It can be used to optimize your website, increase your sales, and prepare your company for the next phase of its existence.
If you’d like to update your healthcare app or website, consider reaching out to Onsharp. We have experience working with forward-thinking companies and would love to help your team prepare for the future.
