How Augmented Intelligence is Transforming Global Healthcare

One of the biggest fears that has loomed over the workforce ever since digital technologies like AI, machine learning, robotics and automation have come into place is, their jobs being replaced by machines.  

But, with the emergence of ‘augmented’ intelligence, there’s promise of more ‘collaboration’ between man and machine, rather than ‘replacement’ of human workforce by machines. 

What is Augmented Intelligence? 

Augmented intelligence, particularly in healthcare, refers to the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and related technologies to enable better collaboration between technology and healthcare professionals.  

It aims to empower healthcare professionals with more access to data, thus enabling them to drive faster and more accurate diagnosis and develop personalised treatment plans.  

AI comes in where the human workforce may find it challenging to infer complex data sets. It analyses and detects reams of data and recommends accurate results, with minimal risk and chances of error.  

For example, augmented intelligence can be used to analyse patient data, take into account each patient’s unique characteristics and medical history, and recommend effective and personalised treatment plans.  

It can also use predictive analytics capabilities to analyse patient data and identify patients at risk for certain diseases or health complications. This enable healthcare professionals to intervene at an early stage and prevent adverse outcomes. 

Augmented Technologies Available Today 

Today, the technologies (aside from AI and ML) that play a role in effective data collation, collaboration, and generating insights are;  

Natural Language Processing (NLP) 

A branch of AI that enables computers to understand and interpret human language; Robotics, which uses machines to perform tasks autonomously or under the guidance of a human operator. 

Internet of Things (IoT) 

Which connects devices and sensors to the Internet, thus enabling collection and analysis of data. 

Cloud Computing 

Which involves the use of remote servers to store, manage and process data; and finally Blockchain, a distributed ledger technology that stores and shares health data securely. 

Augmented Intelligence Adoption: UK & Global Perspective 

According to data by Global Market Insights, globally, the artificial intelligence in healthcare market size stood at USD 5.4 billion in 2022. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 29.2% between 2023 and 2032, on the back of growing applications of AI and related technologies in drug discovery, genomics, precision medicine, and medical imaging. 

Particularly in the UK, despite several challenges, its adoption has been steadily increasing with several programs and initiatives being launched to propagate its adoption.  

For example, in 2019, the National Health Service’s Lab (NHS) was launched to accelerate adoption of AI in healthcare. A few projects underway are the development of an AI-powered chatbot for mental health support, and the use of AI to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

Another initiative launched in the UK is the NHSX AI in Health and Care Award, to provide funding for organisations developing innovative AI technologies for healthcare. So far, the award has provided funding for projects like the use of AI-powered systems to detect early signs of sepsis, and the use of AI to provide stroke diagnosis and treatment. 

Why are we seeing a sudden rise in the adoption of augmented intelligence in healthcare? 

There are several reasons for this rising adoption; 

Increased availability of data 

With the rise of electronic health records, wearables, and other health technologies, there is an abundance of patient data available for analysis. Augmented intelligence can help make sense of this data and provide insights that can improve patient outcomes. 

According to a report, in 2023, the healthcare data storage market is likely to grow from USD 4.88bn in 2022 to USD 5.7bn in 2023, owing to an increasing volume of data availability, advances in big data analytics, and increasing volume of real-time data being collected from multiple sources. 

Rising healthcare costs 

Healthcare costs continue to rise, and augmented intelligence has the potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs by streamlining workflows, improving diagnosis, and reducing medical errors. 

A Merit expert adds, “For example, advanced analytics solutions can deliver insights that can empower healthcare organisations to move away from the traditional approach of finance-first, to focusing on providing better quality care at lower costs.” 

Shortage of healthcare professionals 

It’s a well-known fact that healthcare is one of the sectors that has been heavily affected by the Great Resignation.  

According to a report by Mercer, in the last five years and especially post-pandemic, the demand from healthcare professionals and the retirement of healthcare staff have outweighed the number of recruits in the industry.  

While the US has been most affected by this trend, Australia, the UK, Germany and Singapore are not far behind.  

In such a scenario, augmented intelligence can play a significant role in helping fill the resource gap by assisting healthcare professionals with automation of clinical reports, and assisting in tasks such as diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient monitoring. 

Advancements in technology 

Rapid advancements in AI and machine learning technologies have made it possible to process and analyse large amounts of data quickly and accurately. 

Improved patient outcomes 

Augmented intelligence has the potential to improve patient outcomes by providing more accurate diagnoses, personalised treatment plans, and more effective interventions. 

Merit Data & Technology: A Trusted Web Scraping & Data Mining Partner, With a Deeply Ethical Approach 

At Merit Data & Technology, our team of data scientists have extensive, in-depth experience in working with data to facilitate efficient and compliant data collection. 

Our data scientists understand your data needs and create customised tools to deliver the right data in the format you need. They scale up and scale down the data collection process based on your business needs and validate data quality before it is used for analytics and decision-making. 

To know more about our web scraping technologies and practices, visit https://www.meritdata-tech.com/data/