Leah Mathew - Department of Emergency Medicine
The idea of AI is one that is growing in prevalence daily. An important perspective to consider is the impact AI could have on the field of Emergency Medicine. The article I’m breaking down today does just that. A recent article compiled information from various different sources, all analyzing the role of AI in the Emergency Department (ED). At the time, AI was mostly used to help make clinical choices, organize triage, and improve the overall efficacy of the ED.
As AI technology is rapidly revolutionizing, there are many new questions to consider. Some studies mentioned suggest AI could be a better replacement for human skills due to a lack of certain limitations that humans have. But that also raises the question of how much trust and power we should give to AI in the healthcare field. As accurate or advanced AI is, does it really have the ability to replace the understanding, empathy, and touch that a physician could provide?
This is an important question to consider as AI technology continues to evolve and improve. For now, AI can continue to make the lives of healthcare workers easier in harmless background ways. The author’s analyses showed that AI could be used to recognize patterns, organize patient data, and help triage patients by symptom severity. This positively affected patient outcomes, improved ED overcrowding, and helped the triage system run much more smoothly. While noting these benefits of AI, the article still acknowledges the fine balance between supporting physicians versus replacing them. Only time will tell what the future role of AI in Emergency Medicine will look like!
References:
Boonstra, A., & Laven, M. (2021). Influence of artificial intelligence on the work design of emergency department clinicians a systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08070-7
Comments