Could machines using artificial intelligence make doctors obsolete?



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Artificial intelligence systems simulate human intelligence through learning, reasoning and self-correction. Jörg Goldhahn, MD, MAS, deputy director of the Institute of Translational Medicine at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, explains that this technology may be more accurate than doctors in diagnosing and performing procedures. surgical procedures.

It has an "almost unlimited capacity" for data processing and later learning, and can do it at a speed unmatched by humans.

More and more health data, from apps, personal surveillance devices, electronic medical records and social media platforms, are coming together to give machines as much information as they need. information as possible about people and their diseases. At the same time, the machines "read" and take into account the rapidly expanding scientific literature.

"The idea that today's physicians could approach this knowledge by keeping abad of current medical research while maintaining close contact with their patients is an illusion, especially because of the huge amount of data, "says Goldhahn.

Machine learning is also not subject to the same level of potential bias as human learning, which reflects cultural influences and connections with particular institutions, for example.

While the ability to build relationships with patients is often presented as an argument for human physicians, it can also be their "Achilles' heel," says Goldhahn. Trust is important for patients, but machines and systems can be more reliable than humans if they can be considered unbiased and without conflict of interest.

In addition, some patients, especially the youngest and those with minor illnesses, may attribute a higher correct diagnosis than empathy or continuity of care, he says. "In some very personal situations, the services of a robot could help patients not to be ashamed.

The main challenges for today's health care systems are rising costs and the shortage of doctors. "Presenting AI-based systems may be cheaper than hiring and training new staff," says Goldhahn, "they are also universally available and can even monitor patients remotely." Physicians, as we now know, will soon become obsolete. "

But Vanessa Rampton of the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy in Montreal, Canada, and Professor Giatgen Spinas of the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, say machines will never completely replace doctors because inter-relational quality of the doctor-patient relationship is paramount. to be replicated.

They agree that machines will be more and more capable of performing the tasks that human doctors are performing today, such as diagnosis and treatment, but claim that doctors will stay because they are more able to treat the patient as a whole.

Doctors can build relationships with the patient as a human being and can gain a comprehensive knowledge of their illness with respect to the patient's life, they say.

A doctor-patient relationship where the doctor reflects laterally and takes into account the preferences, values ​​and social circumstances of a patient is important for healing, especially for complex conditions, when there are symptoms without obvious cause and in case of high risk of adverse effects.

"Feeling that they've been heard by someone who understands the seriousness of the problem and who they can trust can be crucial for patients," say Rampton and Spinas.

"Computers can not heal patients in the sense of showing dedication or concern for others as a person, because they are not people and do not care about anything." Sophisticated robots can demonstrate Empathy as a form, just as humans can behave well in social situations while remaining emotionally disengaged, as they only play a social role. "

More importantly, there will be no cure for some patients – care will help them to have the best possible quality of life with their condition and for as long as possible. "Here, doctors are irreplaceable," they point out. "Robots can not understand our concern to connect illness with the task of leading a life."

Regulated and well implemented, learning machines can potentially bring huge benefits to patients, but who wants to receive a terminal diagnosis by a robot, ask Michael Mittelman and his colleagues in a patient comment?

"Patients have to be cared for by people, especially when we are sick and among the most vulnerable, and a machine can never provide us with real comfort," they said.

They recognize that artificial intelligence could become an extremely useful and innovative aid to health care, but they hope that there will always be a place for humanity – health professionals.

"In the end, no one wants to be told that he is dying by an entity that does not understand what it means.We consider that Amnesty International is the servant rather than the director of our medical care, "they concluded.

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