Today, Garett Dolbear, of the Interventions senior class at our school, came to talk to us about AI in healthcare. It sounds kind of crazy for robots to work in healthcare, but they help with many things. They help with diagnosis and treatment planning, surgical assistance, and administrative tasks. AI analyzes images, like MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays, looking for any abnormalities that may show a fracture or a tumor. This way, they can assist in early treatment and planning ways to prevent diseases from happening in the first place. Robots are being used in surgery more often too, such as in heart procedures and transplant surgeries. There is even research going on right now on robots performing C-section surgeries. I don’t know how I feel about that. Imagine being a baby being born and the first thing you see in this world is a scary-looking robot. I would cry too! On the other hand, AI would benefit hospitals because it can help with booking appointments and billing conflicts. This would allow healthcare professionals to have more time to deal with patients, leaving all the paperwork to the robots.
Speaking of paperwork, AI is mainly used in healthcare for data collection. It sorts out hospital data, like HIPA and SOAP notes, and statistics from personal devices, like Fitbits. By tracking the heart rate, personal fitness devices can predict medical problems early on. This allows doctors to take preventative measures towards health to ensure the patient is living their best life.
Although AI benefits healthcare, privacy, and security have come into question. Private health data is at risk for security breaches when third-party vendors have access to it. If the data gets out, it can be used against the patient for identity theft, blackmail, and credit fraud. Others may even try to alter the data collection, leading to faulty treatment and even worse long-term results for the affected patient. To exhibit what it is like to have a security breach, Garett gave us rubber bands with a number on them that we have to remember. We were told to remember the number on the rubber band. Next, we put them back in the basket and they were given back at random. Then, we had to figure out who had the original band we had and questioned if we trusted that person with our health data. Personally, I wouldn't trust anyone but my doctor and Apple Health app with my health data. I don't even trust myself with it. I’d probably forget all my passwords.
We were given a worksheet on how to properly use AI when it comes to schoolwork. This means how to use AI while not technically “cheating”. Some ways you could do this is by using it to facilitate your work, check grammar, give word flow suggestions, explain math equations step-by-step, summarize notes, and check writing for plagiarism.
We still don’t know if AI is completely safe, but with all the benefits it has in healthcare, it’s nothing to be too concerned about. Just like every other topic in healthcare, it has its pros and cons. Robots are being used more and more every day, and the world is changing. With more developed technology, more humanity prospers.
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