ARTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI) will lead to huge changes in healthcare, including enhanced diagnostics, personalised medicine, drug discovery, treatment development and more efficient administration.
It's no secret that AI has the ability to perform tasks faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost.
It was recently reported that hospitals in Singapore may soon be using AI to assess patients in emergency departments to determine which patients need treatment first.
But what about Malaysia? The Ministry of Health's senior principal assistant director Dr Mohamad Fadli Kharie says he's very optimistic about the use of AI and its potential in healthcare.
At the moment, AI in Malaysian healthcare is in its early stages, he says, but with continued investment and focus on overcoming challenges, it's poised for significant growth in the coming years.
While some Malaysian hospitals are utilising AI for tasks like analysing medical images or streamlining administrative processes, it's not yet widespread.
"The government recognises AI's potential and is taking steps to promote its adoption. Grants and resources have been allocated to encourage adoption of AI in healthcare."
However, several factors hinder wider adoption. These include concerns over data privacy, the cost of implementing AI solutions, and the need for robust infrastructure to support AI applications.
FASTER DIAGNOSIS
Dr Mohamad Fadli says AI algorithms can analyse patterns in medical scans such as CT scans, X-rays and MRIs with far greater speed and accuracy, potentially leading to earlier and more precise diagnoses. This translates to quicker treatment, improved patient outcomes and even saves lives.
PERSONALISED MEDICINE
AI can also analyse a patient's unique medical history, genetic make-up, and lifestyle to predict their risk for certain diseases.
This allows for the creation of personalised treatment plans, where care is tailored to the individual.
This shift towards personalised medicine holds immense promise for preventative care and more effective treatment strategies explains Dr Mohamad Fadli.
AI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants can also offer initial mental health assessments and provide basic support, particularly in areas with limited access to mental health professionals, he adds.
AI can also accelerate the process of drug discovery by analysing vast datasets of molecular structures, genomic data and identifying potential drug candidates.
SPEEDING UP TASKS
Administrative efficiency is one of its key benefits, he explains.
"Through generative AI, chatbots can handle routine tasks like scheduling appointments and answering basic patient questions, freeing up healthcare professionals to focus on complex cases. This can improve clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction."
DATA ANALYTICS
But perhaps the most transformative aspect of AI in healthcare is data analytics. AI excels at analysing huge volumes of health datasets from electronic health records, medical research, and wearable devices, says Dr Mohamad Fadli.
By identifying patterns and trends in this data, AI can predict disease spread, health hazards and optimise resource allocation.
AI - LIMITATIONS
Data Privacy
AI relies heavily on patient data, and ensuring its security and privacy is paramount. A strong data governance framework which extensively covers health ethics is needed to build trust and encourage patient participation.
Algorithmic Bias
AI algorithms can perpetuate existing biases in healthcare data, potentially leading to discriminatory practices. Careful development and validation of AI tools, taking into consideration Malaysia's population and ethnicities are crucial to mitigate this risk.
Human Expertise
AI should be seen as a tool to augment, not replace, human expertise. The final decisions regarding patient care should always rest with qualified healthcare professionals.
USING TECHNOLOGY TO MANAGE PANDEMICS
GEOGRAPHIC Information System (GIS) technology aids disease and outbreak control by revealing disease distribution patterns, and facilitating outbreak management.
It's a system designed to create, manage, analyse, and map all types of data.
It connects data to a map, integrating location data (where things are) with all types of descriptive information (what things are like there).
Dr Mohamad Fadli says during Covid-19, GIS technology was used to visualise the spread of the outbreak, localise hotspots, and determine the spread and patterns of the outbreak.
This facilitated stakeholders in planning public health interventions, allocating resources, and making informed decisions.
GIS will be an important tool in preparation for any upcoming pandemic, to enhance health risk identification, disease surveillance, interagency coordination, and targeting interventions, he adds.
"GIS goes beyond just case mapping. We can identify the health risk surrounding the population. This pinpoints areas most susceptible to severe outbreaks and health crises, allowing for proactive measures like disaster planning, prevention and resource planning."
And since GIS excels at overlaying case data on maps, it can track disease occurrence and outbreak spread patterns.
This allows for early detection and rapid response - containing outbreaks before they escalate.