AI is revolutionizing industries of nearly all kinds, and healthcare is no exception. According to Dr. Mona Jhaveri, former cancer researcher and founder of cancer-fighting nonprofit Music Beats Cancer, AI is already proving effective in healthcare in several important ways and can be expected to make exciting new advances in the future.
The Implications of AI’s predictive analytics for healthcare
“The most important future trend for AI in healthcare is predicting disease before it happens,” Jhaveri says. “This is particularly important for diseases like cancer, since most cancers are curable by today’s standard of care if they are found at early stages.”
Indeed, a 2023 study showed that many cancers are “amenable to cure at early stages, but not after metastasis.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, however, reliable diagnostic tests still don’t exist for many cancers. “At this time, only a handful of cancer screening tests are known to reduce the chance of dying of a specific cancer and to have benefits that outweigh the harms,” the organization’s National Cancer Plan reads. “They are: mammography for breast cancer, HPV and Pap testing for cervical cancer, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and stool-based tests for colorectal cancer, [and] low-dose CT scanning for lung cancer.”
Importantly, AI could help identify people at increased risk of a specific kind of cancer without needing diagnostic tests.
“For example, AI could amalgamate relevant patient data across a range of verticals, such as genetics, family history, seasonal health patterns, and exposure to environmental factors or global crises to alert oncologists if a patient is at high risk for a particular cancer,” Jhaveri explains.
Another significant contribution that AI could make is personalized medicine.
The future of AI healthcare: Personalized medicine
“Personalized medicine could be a game changer in how we diagnose and treat cancer,” Jhaveri says. “Cancer is a complex disease that presents itself differently in each patient, making it difficult to develop ‘magic bullet’ cures.”
As Cancer Research UK explains, “There are over 200 different types of cancer that can cause many different signs and symptoms… Cancer can affect people in different ways. The type of symptoms a person may have can be different to others, and some people don’t have any symptoms.” That’s why the organization recommends that individuals familiarize themselves with what’s normal for them and discuss any changes with their physician.
Since AI can crunch enormous amounts of data and recognize patterns within seeming chaos, efforts are underway to develop it to optimize individuals’ health, given their own unique situations.
“The use of AI to inform the clinician on the range and doses of drugs that would work best for a particular patient with a particular cancer would drastically improve outcomes in our war on cancer,” Jhaveri explains.
In addition, Jhaveri predicts that the use of AI in telemedicine will become commonplace in the future.
AI promotes telehealth
“Remote telehealth portals will replace physical visits to the doctor more and more with AI assistance,” Jhaveri says. “In the future, doctors will examine their patients by using AI capabilities to diagnose medical problems and offer personalized approaches for treatment.”
Jhaveri predicts that many clinical practices will incorporate more and more AI tools and capabilities. “Eventually, even routine diagnostic tests, such as Prostate Specific-Antigen (PSA) tests or mammograms, will use AI for analysis, blockchain to move sensitive clinical and payment information, and the cloud to store the data indefinitely,” she predicts.
More efficient healthcare with AI
Jhaveri also expects clinical organizations to adopt AI tools to become more efficient in other ways. Just as AI’s real-time inventory management and other capabilities make manufacturing and other business operations more efficient, healthcare administrators could bring these performance-enhancing elements to clinical settings.
“Medical supplies, equipment, and workforce will be deployed based on predicted need rather than guesswork,” she says. “Clinicians will be able to serve their patients more effectively as AI tools take over administrative tasks that currently consume their valuable time.”
These advances could help drive down healthcare costs.
“In essence, medicine will become more accessible, precise, and cost-effective,” Jhaveri says. “This is in contrast to today’s system, in which much of the world’s population cannot access or afford healthcare.”
The era of AI in the healthcare sector
Implementing any new technology raises concerns about its possible misuse. For this reason, Jhaveri expects policy proposals about the legal use of AI in healthcare to “become a forefront conversation” as the medical industry increasingly depends on this technology.
“Laws and policies will emerge when the medical system experiences the misuse of AI alongside the power of AI in improving and saving lives,” she says.
The era of AI has dawned, and the healthcare sector — like so many other industries — will never be the same. As this technology advances and its uses are refined, patients can hope for better care and, with it, superior outcomes for their health.
