On a recent episode of PeerPOV: The Pulse on Medicine, Richard “RJ” Kedziora discussed the current landscape of digital health solutions and where the future of healthcare AI may be headed.
RJ Kedziora: I’ve worn the early devices and used early technologies, and digital health solutions have impacted patient outcomes in projects we’ve worked on. Across the industry, digital health solutions are easier to access and, typically, more affordable and can help solve some of the issues around equity. There are not enough healthcare professionals to take care of all the people with chronic needs. This is where I’ve seen digital health solutions impact the population.
We’ve done a lot of work in diabetes, hypertension, and blood pressure management. When we started, it was finger sticks and understanding your blood glucose. It hurts, unfortunately, to take your blood. It’s also costly to access those needles, so people don’t typically do that. It offered a single point in time to understand what’s going on inside your body. How do you make decisions with that data?
Today, AI is starting to impact this area. There’s been a lot of work evaluating images and using clinical support decision algorithms. But as you get more data, it becomes difficult for us as individuals, as humans, or even doctors, to discern patterns and trends. How do we use AI to figure that out?
In diabetic retinopathy, for example, we look at an image of your retina or the back of your eye. The AI can detect whether you’re male or female, which is fascinating. Looking at this image, you or I can’t figure that out. We’re still unsure how the computer pulls it off , but it demonstrates AI’s capabilities.
If you’re not using AI today, you must start using it. It’s a major disruptor. I put it in the category of the printing press, electricity, and the internet. It is going to make a significant impact on our world. Some have even called it “humanity’s greatest invention.” It is going to change society. There will be stumbling steps and challenges, and society will have to change because of it, but ultimately, you need to use this.
