As a child my grandfather would repeatedly fantasize about how, one day in the future, we wouldn’t need doctors…we would be able to step into a machine that would scan our bodies, make a diagnosis, and prescribe treatment. I used to think he was crazy. Little did I know just how possible his fantasy was!
Medical Technology (MedTech), like all technology, is evolving on a vertical trajectory. I believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is probably one of the most exciting technological developments of the century, particularly for the healthcare sector. I feel so privileged to be at the cutting edge of the development of the state-of-the-art technology in an area that has such an impact on the lives of individuals.
An AI persona is a digital character generated by AI technologies that imitates the behavior and qualities of a real human. We are certainly not at a point where an AI persona can replace a human, particularly in the healthcare sector. They can, however, supplement the services provided to patients by performing certain tasks which will enable healthcare administrators and professionals to make quicker decisions, spend more time with more patients, and thus provide the most effective and personalized medical care possible.
Essentially AI personas are created by gathering and analyzing data, identifying patterns and descriptors; and then using this information to develop a persona based on various characteristics. These personas are then deployed to segment patients or processes, understand them better, and create personalized experiences.
Today I’m going to share some insights on how AI personas can transform MedTech and impact the healthcare sector by improving patient care and management.
Improved Diagnostics
AI personas can process and analyze large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. This can assist healthcare professionals when they are making a diagnosis. An AI persona may pick up a pattern humans could miss when analyzing an MRI scan, for example.
Efficient Administration
Administration was where AI personas made their first appearance in the medical world. They have been used to streamline administrative tasks like appointment scheduling, managing patient records, and invoicing patients. An increase in operational efficiency has been reported by both small medical practices and large hospitals.
Personalized Patient Care
AI personas are ushering in an era of personalized patient care never experienced before. Healthcare providers can use them to generate treatment plans including dietary and medication recommendations based on the individual’s medical history, genetic information, and lifestyle factors. They are also being used to help patients monitor their treatment and progress themselves.
Optmized Prescriptions
Healthcare professionals are overwhelmed by the wide range of drugs available, often able to treat multiple illnesses or diseases, and all with different side effects. AI personas will make a huge impact by generating prescriptions optimized for each patient. They can quickly process the patient’s medical history, past responses to various drugs, and current symptoms to generate a suggested drug treatment plan. This has the potential to make a huge impact the patient’s health and wellness.
These are just some of the areas that MedTech can use AI personas to transform the healthcare sector. There are MANY more!!
I want to stress the fact that I do not believe AI Personas will replace humans. Healthcare requires human interaction. Whilst my grandfather’s prediction of a doctors being replaced by impersonal diagnostic booths that dispense medication isn’t as outlandish as it seemed at the time, MedTech will never dehumanize healthcare. AI personas are there to compliment and supplement the care-giving experience, not replace the care of humans.
There is no doubt that AI personas will have a transformative impact on MedTech and it is easy to get carried away with the possibilities. So I would like to end off with another important point. We must remember the ethical issues around privacy of patient’s data at all times. Just as healthcare professionals are ethically bound to care for patients, we are also ethically bound to take care of their privacy when handling their data.
Are you using AI personas?
