My View: Capturing the benefits of AI in healthcare

eHealthNews.nz: AI & Analytics

My View: Capturing the benefits of AI in healthcare

Thursday, 25 April 2024

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VIEW - Ian Town, chief science advisor Ministry of Health, and co-chair of the expert panel that developed the rapid report ‘Capturing the benefits of AI in healthcare for Aotearoa New Zealand’

AI is developing at a rapid rate. For healthcare, it offers opportunities to strengthen the health system, better support healthcare professionals and improve the health of all New Zealanders.

It has the potential to make the health system more efficient, address long-standing inequities by breaking down language and cultural barriers, provide insights into the performance of our health system meaning we can act in real time rather than retrospectively. AI can also enhance our research capabilities and science advice to better inform our strategy and decision-making.

We are already seeing examples of AI being used in healthcare to improve back-office efficiency and speed up image analysis. For example, AI powered software is being used for the screening and early detection of breast cancer, and surgeons can now use 3D modelling to virtually map out a patient’s hip joint to determine the appropriate surgical intervention.

Soul Machines is an Auckland-based AI company which creates digital people that are being deployed across many industries, including healthcare. They have partnered with the World Health Organization to create S.A.R.A.H., a digital person designed to provide culturally appropriate information and education on a variety of health topics, including mental health and emotional well-being.

In common with other countries, there are some challenging issues to grapple with as we responsibly adopt AI, including ethics, consent, governance, equity, and the risks of accentuating the digital divide.

The safe and effective deployment of AI into our healthcare system will depend not just on the technology itself, but on the wider healthcare system and system settings that are necessary to underpin smooth implementation. This necessitates a thorough understanding of our landscape at present, coupled with a clear vision and cross-sector agreement for the future of healthcare.

To ensure it is introduced and implemented appropriately we need effective governance and a broad coalition of partners across government, academia and wider society. The use of AI in health contexts must be trusted and trustworthy. People need to understand the role that AI plays in their care and there needs to be transparent audit and evaluation.

Rapid report into AI in healthcare
‘Capturing the benefits of AI in healthcare for Aoteaora New Zealand’ is a rapid report from the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Professor Dame Juliet Gerard and Dr Ian Town, Chief Science Advisor at the Ministry of Health.

The report explores the possible benefits that AI may provide with the planning, management, delivery of better outcomes in administrative areas, care delivery and health equity, population health and policy, and research. Themes unique to New Zealand, such as digital infrastructure, nurturing data as taonga, population dynamics and enabling access, were considered as part of this developmental work.

The report makes 22 recommendations relating to governance, regulation, landscape, research and industry. Recognising how rapidly the AI technology landscape is likely to evolve, these recommendations are limited to a timespan of five years, acknowledging there will be a need to re-evaluate the AI and healthcare landscapes on an ongoing basis.

An expert panel whose experiences span healthcare, academia, technology development, ethics, philosophy, tikanga Māori and governance, plus a reference group which included academics, industry experts, entrepreneurs and government agencies from both national and international settings, all contributed to the report’s development.

Where to from here?
The development, deployment, and adoption of AI within the healthcare sector requires robust dialogue at a systems level to create an enabling ecosystem. The impact of AI will depend on more than just the technical capability of the tools. The wider AI ecosystem, spanning regulatory settings, the talent pipeline, commercial incentives, data repositories and governance bodies are all crucial aspects that will impact on the health sector’s ability to benefit from emerging technology. Ensuring strong relationships between actors in the public sector, privacy sector, relevant agencies, research institutions, health system and consumer groups will provide useful support to inform the evolving AI and healthcare landscape.

The report’s recommendations were discussed at a recent workshop and symposium that brought together people from government, academia and industry. The key points reached will be used to help inform the next steps to expand the use of AI in the healthcare system. Engagement and collaboration with Health New Zealand will be ongoing.

In the wake of COVID-19, pressures on our health services and our healthcare professionals are immense and have been well-publicised. While AI won’t solve everything, it is already beginning to offer us new opportunities in the evolution of healthcare delivery and new ways to improve the health of all New Zealanders.