Important Role of Machine Learning in Healthcare
It is a very well-known fact that the healthcare sector has been an early adopter as well as a huge beneficiary of technological advances. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subset Machine Learning (ML) are the most talked about things in the technological world, and as such it should not come as a surprise that healthcare sector has been an early adopter of these revolutionizing technologies as well.
ML these days is playing a vital role in many health-related realms, and healthcare providers in coordination with healthcare software development companies are using ML to develop new medical provide efficient treatment to patients suffering from fatal or chronic diseases. In the words of computer scientist Sebastian Thrum: “Just as machines made human muscles a thousand times stronger, machines will make the human brain a thousand times more powerful.”
How Machine Learning Is Revolutionizing Healthcare
- Can predict illnesses based on patient’s historical data, which leads to development of a better treatment plan.
- Predicts health risks for a particular segment analyzing various variables
- Provides invaluable assistance with healthcare records and workflow
- Aids in accurate diagnosis and treatment by identifying whether a tumor is benign or malignant.
- Makes new drug development less expensive
- Recognizes prospects for clinical trials
- Perceives chasms in healthcare
- Help doctors and pathologists to make quicker diagnosis with utmost precision.
Despite concerns from certain quarters that things are getting ahead of themselves, there seems to be no slowdown at which AI and ML is being incorporated in the healthcare sector. In fact, many experts and doctors hold a form belief that AI and ML is the future of healthcare.
Overview of Machine Learning in Healthcare
Machine learning is being extensively used in an extensive range of healthcare applications. Deep analysis of huge amount of data through Machine Learning can help physicians quickly devise a treatment plan customized to the person being treated and the characteristics being displayed by him.
“AI will affect physicians and hospitals, as it will play a key role in clinical decision support, enabling earlier identification of disease, and tailored treatment plans to ensure optimal outcomes,” says Fatima Paruk, CMO of Chicago-based Allscripts AnalyticsParuk said. “It can also be used to demonstrate and educate patients on potential disease pathways and outcomes given different treatment options. It can impact hospitals and health systems in improving efficiency, while reducing the cost of care.”
Reputable Machine learning development services providers are increasingly working on developing software that could play an integral role in Central Nervous System (CNS) clinical trials in times to come.
Another important application of ML in healthcare domain would be its application in development of telemedicine solutions.
Software can accumulate and analyze data generated during a telemedicine session, as well as capture information during the virtual visit to help doctors devise a more efficient line of treatment.
Important Application of ML in Healthcare
Some of the important applications in healthcare where ML is making its presence strongly felt, or likely to do so in near future are as following:
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals industry are making use of Machine Learning in big way for drug discovery and drug development. Large pharma firms are increasingly looking towards ML to analyze and predict how different patients will react to drugs for different ailments, and identify the category likely to benefit the most from a particular drug.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has also allowed the use of AI and ML in certain medical devices. The FDA in US is a government body responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices.
Healthcare providers are also using Machine Learning to predict illness which could aid in early intervention and treat the disease in its early stage. ML is also being used to predict population health risk by identifying patterns that could lead to the recognition of people at high risk for certain diseases.
Here we list few important applications of machine learning in healthcare industries, and see how well-established providers of machine learning development services are helping companies leverage its power to increase the quality of care to patients.
Aids in Medical Diagnosis
A report by Global Market Insights reveals that medical imaging and diagnosis powered by AI and ML could exceed 3 billion by 2024, a growth of over 40% growth. One area where ML is increasingly being used is in MRI scans where ML is helping doctors correctly read the images for better diagnosis.
Detecting Diseases at an Earlier Stage
Machine learning deeply analyzes data which means it can help identify patterns to detect early signs of debilitating conditions such as heart attacks. There are many AI-based devices available in the market that can be worn on hand and are used to monitor a variety of conditions such as a person’s heart rate, sleep cycle, breathing rate, activity level, blood pressure, so on.
Surgical Robots
Surgical robots powered by AI and ML have given sort of extraordinary powers to surgeons. Approved in the US since, 2000s, surgical robots have been helping surgeons in a myriad number of ways ranging from precision cutting, minimally invasive incisions to aiding surgeons in efficient stitching of wounds among others. Common surgical procedures using robotic surgery include prostate surgery, eye surgery, and head and neck surgery.
Conclusion
Patient have huge amount of data associated with them. This huge data is multidimensional in character with an extensive range of attributes. To process them efficiently, and to derive meaningful information from them, complex algorithms are processed by ML. This has helped medical fraternity to develop better care to the patients. ML also helps in early detection of diseases and better interpretation of MRIs and CT scans. ML helps precision medicine, particularly in early diagnosis and treatment of potentially fatal diseases like cancer. A good healthcare software development firm can help your business harness the power of ML to allow you to offer higher quality of treatment and increase your ROI.
