Immense potential for AI in health

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eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

A new report into AI in New Zealand says the health system is ideal for AI application as it produces a substantial amount of data and imagery while reporting high levels of inefficiency.

The use of Artificial Intelligence in New Zealand’s health system has “immense potential to save both lives and money,” a new report says.

Artificial Intelligence: Shaping a Future New Zealand was launched in Wellington yesterday by the AI Forum of New Zealand.

AI Forum chairperson Stu Christie says in his introduction that the report is “a strong call to action to ensure that, as a nation, we are well positioned to address the impacts and opportunities that the adoption of AI offers”.

The report says the health system is ideal for the application of AI as it produces a substantial amount of data and imagery while reporting high levels of inefficiency.

Potential uses of AI in health include mining medical records to provide more personalised, better and faster health services; designing personalised treatment plans; assisting in repetitive jobs such as reviewing scans or laboratory results; and supporting the delivery of virtual and online health services.

“The high costs of healthcare, coupled with shortages in medical professionals, an increasing elderly population and high consumer service expectations mean it is likely that AI supported health solutions will rapidly become available,” the report says.

“It is further expected that the national health system will continue to adapt at a slower pace and new technology will be privately supported.”

The report says there is no Ministry of Health or New Zealand Medical Council policy on the use of AI, but that early adopters within New Zealand’s health system are deploying AI on the fringes of the public system.

Some New Zealand health firms are already using AI, such as MoleMap, which uses AI to screen images of normal moles, leaving suspicious moles for human diagnosis.

Orion Health is also developing precision-driven health solutions to augment its current health system software, including research on improving how deep neural networks can be applied to electronic health records.

The report predicts that the health system will be slower to change than other sectors but says change will be driven by consumer expectations and an increasing diversity of health data sources, such as personal fitness monitoring devices.

It says privacy concerns are paramount in the ongoing challenge of balancing the privacy of patient data with the opportunities for radically improved health outcomes.

“A continuing pragmatic conversation is required between patients, public health providers and digital health organisations to enable data accessibility for researchers. Without access to appropriate data, AI driven improvements cannot be realised,” the report concludes.