Artificial Intelligence, a Powerful Tool for Health Professionals

The world needs professionals who are constantly evolving, and this is especially important when the goal is to save lives. Recent advances in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in the health sector have become essential tools for both the work of medical professionals and the experience of patients themselves.

This horizontal technology has broad advantages for the entire health system, as it can improve prevention systems, diagnostic capabilities and thus the effectiveness of treatment, said Jimmy Venegas, a professional physician and dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Franz Tamayo University Unifranz.

“Against the backdrop of rapid technological development, artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) have become key knowledge areas for achieving efficient and precise medicine. These innovations are changing the way we address health challenges,” he pointed out.

AI in health ranges from diagnostic algorithms to data management systems that can identify patterns, personalize treatments, and improve the efficiency of clinical decision making.

For Venegas, this reality makes us reflect on the importance of training medical professionals in line with technological developments. “We cannot allow students to arrive in the classroom and be asked to quit by their teachers. In professional training, there must be the ability to project oneself into the future, and we cannot train doctors in a traditional way and have them live in a traditional professional reality if we know that the reality of the doctors being trained is changing all the time.”

Venegas said, “The future of health is digital,” so The training of new doctors must include the use of artificial intelligence and new technologies from day one, which can be achieved through case-solving methods, which poses a real challenge to students to measure not only their knowledge but also their application and use of existing knowledge with technological tools.

“Using a case-based approach, we want the learning experience to be real, and we want to measure not only how much they know, but how well they apply that knowledge, and how well they leverage the technology tools that are available to them,” he said.

The health professional said that with AI, you can find a quick definition of some symptoms or translate medical terms that are difficult to explain to patients or their families into spoken language.

Artificial intelligence is improving the way healthcare professionals learn. Most importantly, in situations where the information is more complex or requires some type of training.

Through it, different scenarios can be created that offer many advantages from a training point of view, such as simulating real interventions, training in diagnostic or communication skills with patients, and creating medical hypotheses based on real parameters.

However, the applications of AI in medicine and training of health professionals go far beyond this.

Application of artificial intelligence in medicine

Artificial intelligence has had an unprecedented impact on the healthcare industry. With its numerous functions, artificial intelligence in the medical field has expanded from the field of healthcare to the field of health education.

Here are some of its applications:

1 Disease Prevention

Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to be highly effective in detecting and preventing a variety of diseases, significantly improving patients’ quality of life. In particular, computer systems have been developed that can diagnose various types of cancer with high accuracy, such as cervical cancer, uterine cancer, head and neck cancer, and prostate cancer.

Additionally, the field of cardiology has created smart programs that can detect heart conditions that would otherwise go unnoticed.

On the other hand, artificial intelligence also plays a vital role in psychiatry and psychology. Computational research is developed based on the analysis of messages on social networks, generating algorithms capable of predicting the risk of users suffering from certain psychopathologies.

2 Helping with medical decisions

To make certain medical decisions, health professionals follow a process based on the following parameters:

● Provide objective and reliable evidence.

● investigation.

● Explanation of existing facts.

● The balance between risk and return.

However, reality shows that in some settings this standardized protocol does not work. Whether due to a lack of available evidence, limited time to make a decision, or because decisions are not always objective for some patients, the approach may fail.

In this context, artificial intelligence has become a viable solution due to its powerful ability to collect, analyze and process data. New management and support software is assisting medical professionals in making decisions, reducing waiting times and minimizing risks.

3 Disease diagnosis and treatment

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the health sector, significantly improving diagnostic capabilities and treatment outcomes. In particular, many intelligent computer programs have been developed for detecting infectious diseases, kidney diseases, and rheumatic diseases.

Additionally, AI improves diagnostic rates through image processing and interpretation, thanks to its ability to recognize complex patterns and develop more accurate three-dimensional models.

In terms of treatment, AI is used to predict possible adverse reactions and assess patient compliance with treatment. Robotic assistants combined with AI play a vital role in tracking, supporting, and monitoring patients.

Artificial intelligence brings huge benefits to medical and scientific research. Its use allows you to optimize time, reduce costs and improve the results obtained.

Fuzzy logic – applied to new research models – offers new perspectives in the field of health, improving the study of diseases, diagnostic systems and responses to treatments.

This topic will be The first AI for Health conference, organized by Unifranz, will be held in Cochabamba next September. It will bring together national and international experts who will discuss the possibilities of AI and its application in general public health, as well as its use as a tool for training new doctors.