Artificial intelligence seems to have transformed almost all the sectors across the world. On that note, healthcare sector has seen immense transformations over the years and the extent to which life has become convenient cannot be merely put into words. With 2020 being a year full of challenges especially on the healthcare front, not praising the healthcare sector for how it stood as a pillar is just not justified. Not surprising though, this sector has a plethora of opportunities that leverage technology to be deployed, hence paving way for Artificial Intelligence to explore a lot more areas. Having said that, AI has led to a lot of developments in the healthcare sector, making life simpler like never before. Some of them are-

COVID: 2020 is that one year which has shook the world in every possible way. COVID has not just taken a toll on the health of humans but has hit the economy way too hard. However, the only good thing worth a mention is how AI made its way into building models, discovering new treatments and the most important of all – the development of vaccine.

PATIENT FLOW OPTIMIZATION: When visiting a hospital, the worst scenario is the one where the patients in critical condition keep waiting for hours just to get access to an ICU, to get the surgery done or just for the purpose of consultation. The condition is improving, though slowly, but there surely is a difference seen now. AI based software platform aims to solve these operational challenges especially those related to emergency rooms and patient safety. This automated platform prioritizes patients who are critical, tracks the waiting time and also charts the fastest ambulance routes.

APPOINTMENTS: It is absolutely common to worry about our health even when there's a slight change in the way we feel. But, what people tend to forget is that not all conditions require seeking an appointment unlike some evident conditions that cannot see any improvement unless seen by a doctor. This is where AI comes to the rescue. There are some AI applications that scan the survey answers of the patients and then recommend either a virtual check-in or a face-to-face consultation, thereby saving time and also prioritizing patients who are critical.

MAINTAINING RECORDS: Gone are the days when maintaining records about patients used to be a tiresome task. Everything was done manually and this itself throws light on the fact that how tedious this task would have been. Thanks to AI – It is now possible to maintain electronic records and have access to them as and when required.

PERSONALIZED HEALTHCARE PLANS: With AI, it is now possible to prepare personalized healthcare plans taking into account the health history of the patients. This consumes a lot of time when you think of doing it manually.

PREDICTION: With AI in place, it has become easier than ever to go ahead with predictions (that have a lot of importance in the healthcare sector). AI helps in predicting the chemical and pharmaceutical properties of small molecule candidates for drug design and development. Those days when complex molecular systems could be predicted in weeks and sometimes even in months are now stories of the past. Today, it is possible to do the same in a matter of a days.

Artificial intelligence in combination with big data can also help in predicting financial and operational risk. The data collected serves a lot of purposes and with AI, it is possible to predict a lot like what is driving up the costs, who might get sick, etc.

ROBOTS ASSISTING IN SURGERIES: With advancement in technology, we have now reached a stage where doctors perform surgeries with the help of robots. Robots are equipped with cameras, surgical instruments and mechanical arms. Surgeons could not have an access to a magnified 3-D look from eyes but with these robots, this is no longer a dream that is far from reality.

Artificial intelligence has catered to needs of the society in every possible way. Today, we see ourselves wondering as to what life would have been had it not been for this exceptional implementation of AI in our lives. All sectors have benefitted out of it – Healthcare has seen far more applications of AI than some of the other sectors.