There has been a lot of talk about artificial intelligence replacing doctors in providing health care, especially with the rarity of errors in diagnosis by it, but is technology alone really sufficient for this matter, and is the professional future of doctors in danger with the superior technological progress, or are they means that help the doctor and not compete with him in His track?
How is artificial intelligence used in diagnosis?
Artificial intelligence has undeniable capabilities in diagnosing and detecting diseases early. It uses algorithms to analyze patient data, such as x-rays, test results, and electronic health records, and then helps the doctor or health care provider accurately diagnose the disease. Artificial intelligence has worked in several ways to diagnose diseases and raise the quality of health care:
1. Analyze patient data
Artificial Intelligence uses, processes and analyzes patient data through its algorithms, which may be health records, x-rays, laboratory results or genetic data of the patient, ultimately providing an accurate diagnosis.
Artificial intelligence may also review the patient’s history and the nature of the symptoms he is suffering from now after providing him with this information. It does not only deal with x-ray images or test results, but also helps the doctor reach the most accurate diagnosis of the disease.
2. Observing patterns and predictability
Artificial intelligence is able to analyze a huge amount of data to find hidden links between some symptoms and their association with a disease, as well as vital signs and risk factors that may increase the chances of developing diseases (such as smoking and lung cancer), and many of these things may not be able to be monitored by a doctor or to get it.
AI algorithms provide a comprehensive perspective on human health by evaluating several factors at the same time, which guides the diagnosis to the most accurate possible, and makes the treatment strategy more individualized and tailored to the patient’s condition with great accuracy.
3. Artificial intelligence and imaging tests
Imaging tests, such as X-rays and CT scans, are an essential basis in diagnosis, as they show the doctor tumors and masses inside the body, monitor lung disorders, and other serious health problems, and lead the doctor directly to the diagnosis.
Artificial intelligence has the ability to process X-ray images, MRI scans, and CT scans in a small fraction of the time, which helps doctors in various specialties monitor the problem. At the same time, artificial intelligence analyzes a huge amount of data and retrieves data relevant to the diagnosis it has reached.
Artificial intelligence has proven its high ability to accurately identify and locate tumors, birth defects that may be present, and other health problems by processing x-ray images. Algorithms have tremendous ability to analyze large sets of x-ray images. Not only to detect tumors but also to classify them. Artificial intelligence provides accurate information about the stage of the tumor, its growth rate, and the possibility of it spreading to other places in the body by comparing the results obtained from the radiology with previous data provided by the doctor regarding the disease condition, and then develops appropriate treatment plans for the patient’s condition.
Artificial intelligence has benefited to an indescribable degree in enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis based on x-ray images. Rather, it helps radiologists present the various possibilities of the disease and reduce the chances of misinterpreting x-rays. Artificial intelligence is also fast in analyzing images, which makes medical care quick and more effective in providing Maintaining patients’ health without delay or delay.
4. Detecting diseases early
By analyzing patient records and finding abnormalities in their medical reports, AI narrows down the diagnostic options to one or a few diseases, and then gives warning of possible diseases before they occur based on the patient data provided to it.
Can artificial intelligence be an alternative to doctors?
A study compared the response of doctors to patient inquiries with the response of artificial intelligence, and the surprising result was that neither the doctor nor the artificial intelligence had access to the patients’ medical history.
The researchers found that the doctors’ answers were explanatory and clearly explained to patients, indicating the doctors’ years of experience . In contrast, the AI’s responses were general, similar to what one might find through a quick Google search, for example.
But this study is limited and was conducted on a small sample of doctors, so its data may not be entirely accurate. However, it highlights a strength for doctors and a major weakness of artificial intelligence when answering patients’ questions. However, artificial intelligence is not a substitute for doctors for the following reasons:
1. AI is not human
The patient needs a human being to deal with him, or rather sympathize with him and show him affection, and it is difficult for artificial intelligence to perform this role, and the doctor’s relationship with the patient is not limited only to providing diagnosis and providing treatment, but also includes paying attention to his needs, understanding his psychological state, and building The trust between them increases over time as a result of the patient’s frequent visits to the doctor.
As for artificial intelligence, it does not show sympathy with the patient , and it is not a human being for the patient to trust, but it provides answers to the questions asked about the disease, or analyzes the patient’s data and arrives at a diagnosis only without understanding the patient or discussing with him his medical condition, and it certainly prefers patients to He sympathizes with them and cares about them.
2. Doctors have atypical ways of working
Let’s take, for example, a young boy who was poisoned. Doctors assumed several possibilities, such as medication poisoning, food poisoning, or pesticide poisoning. Each of these possible diagnoses had a specific treatment method, and each treatment method they chose made the patient’s condition worse until they discovered that the boy had been exposed to phosmet, which is a type of pesticide. He caught the insect from jeans that he bought from a street vendor who keeps the pants in a truck, but the mistake was that the boy did not wash the pants before wearing them, which caused the skin to absorb the poison.
Perhaps you have understood the point. This analytical method is not typical, but rather expansive, looking into every possibility and requiring high mental activity, and this is what only doctors are capable of. No artificial intelligence algorithm can make such a diagnosis. Diagnosis and choosing treatment are not typical, but sometimes they are… It needs a creative touch from an expert doctor, which no artificial intelligence robot has.
3. The inability of artificial intelligence to perform some tasks that require high flexibility
The medical staff, consisting of doctors, nurses, and others, performs a huge amount of monotonous and repetitive tasks every day. In fact, an American study indicated that a doctor spends an average of 8.7 hours per week on administrative tasks or managing patients’ affairs, and psychiatrists spend the highest percentage of their working hours on paperwork ( 20.3%), followed by internists (17.3%), and general practitioners (17.3%).
Technology cannot perform these tasks and responsibilities. There are tasks in which humans will always be the fastest and most efficient, or perhaps they do not cost as much as technology might.
Also, one of the doctor’s tasks in which artificial intelligence does not compete with him is performing a physical examination, which is necessary for diagnosis and developing a treatment plan. However, artificial intelligence does not examine the patient, but rather works by providing him with data, then analyzing it to arrive at a diagnosis. Some diseases may not be diagnosed except through a physical examination. Such as inguinal hernia.
The difference between artificial intelligence for diagnosing diseases and diagnosing doctors
Doctor’s diagnosis |
Artificial intelligence diagnostics |
|
| Diagnostic accuracy | Of course, the doctor, like any human being, may make an error in diagnosing the patient, but the chances of this error occurring decrease with the increase in the doctor’s experience, his continuous dealings with patients, and the frequent referral of cases to him, especially in the field of surgery. If the doctor performs the operation several times with perfection, the success rates of any surgical operation are more than 90%. | Of course, artificial intelligence is very accurate in diagnosis, but on the condition that the data is entered 100% correct. Because any error in any information entered into it may make the diagnosis completely different from what it is supposed to be, and artificial intelligence may help the surgeon with the diagnosis, but it will not perform the operation in his place. |
| Patient data analysis | The doctor does not analyze patient data with the same ability as artificial intelligence, of course. Rather, he obtains the medical history, follows the symptoms and vital signs of the patient, and then forms a comprehensive picture of the diseases that may be causing the symptoms, with the help of laboratory tests and x-rays. To finally reach a diagnosis. | Artificial intelligence is capable of analyzing a huge set of patient data and finding the appropriate diagnosis based on the data received from test results or x-ray images, and it may be faster than a doctor in this regard. |
| Empathize and gain the patient’s trust | By showing the doctor friendliness and keenness to listen to the patient’s complaint, he gains his trust, especially if the patient’s visits are frequent, and this is what the human doctor specializes in, and artificial intelligence cannot play its role here in any way. | Yes, AI may provide diagnosis and medical information to either the doctor or the patient, but it does not show empathy or concern for the patient, much less gain their trust. |
| Creative ability | This is what people’s brains are specialized in, with differences in creativity among others. Creativity in the medical field means arriving at a diagnosis through unconventional, or rather non-typical, means. The diagnosis may be based on a psychological event that occurred to the patient, or a specific thing in the medical history that he mentioned. The patient goes to the doctor, through whom he reaches the diagnosis. | AI does not have a human mind, so it is not creative. Rather, it follows a stereotyped method of diagnosis, and may fail to diagnose some problems that require creative thinking. |
| Disease prediction | The doctor may predict complications after diagnosing the disease, especially if the patient neglects treatment and the doctor’s instructions, but predicting diseases may not be possible to the same extent. | Artificial intelligence can predict diseases based on the data available to it, but there may be significant opportunities for error with the large amount of data available, so the data must be very accurate. For the prediction to be the same. |
| Examination of patients | One of the doctor’s unique diagnostic methods is the physical examination of the patient, which artificial intelligence cannot do, such as diagnosing an inguinal hernia, or transrectal examination of the prostate, and others. | An artificial intelligence robot cannot examine patients, and therefore it may not be able to diagnose some diseases with the same accuracy as an experienced doctor who has spent years of his life examining patients’ bodies. |
How does artificial intelligence serve doctors?
Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for the doctor, but rather an assistant to him in providing the most accurate diagnosis and the best possible health care for patients. It saves the time that the doctor may take in reviewing many reports and x-rays for diagnosis, and the chances of error are low with artificial intelligence in diagnosis as long as it is provided The data is accurate without error, and it remains the doctor’s role to choose the correct diagnosis from among the options presented to him by the artificial intelligence.
But we should never rely on artificial intelligence alone for diagnosis or developing a treatment plan. The human element must be supervised, no matter how advanced artificial intelligence is in health care.
Artificial intelligence also helps reduce the workload on doctors, making them less stressed. With the availability of artificial intelligence technology in wearable medical devices, the patient is now able to monitor his condition and keep the doctor informed of his condition remotely, such as: monitoring the heartbeat in the event of defibrillation. Atrial, and this certainly facilitates the doctor’s work and makes him constantly aware of the patient’s condition without the hassle of visiting.
