AI-controlled Sensors may Save Lives in 'smart' Hospitals and Homes

Medical errors cause the death of nearly 400,000 Americans each year, but many of these deaths can be prevented by using electronic sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) which help medical professionals monitor and treat vulnerable patients in ways that enhance outcomes while respecting privacy, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Nature. Arnold Milstein, a professor of medicine and director of Stanford's Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC), stated that "We have the capacity to build technologies into the physical spaces where health care is delivered to help reduce fatal errors that occur due to the sheer volume of patients and the complexity of their care."

The study reviews the field of "ambient intelligence" in health care, an interdisciplinary effort to design such smart hospital rooms equipped with AI systems that could do a range of things to promote outcomes. For example, sensors and AI can quickly inform clinicians and patient visitors when they do not sanitize hands before entering a hospital room. Artificial intelligence tools can be built into smart homes where technology can unobtrusively monitor the frail adults for behavioral clues of impending health crises.

Ambient technologies have several potential benefits, but they also increase legal and regulatory problems, as well as privacy concerns that must be recognized and addressed in a public way to obtain the trust of patients and providers, says Li, who is co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). He also said that "Technology to protect the health of medically fragile populations is inherently human-centered."

The study's researchers teamed up developing ambient intelligence technologies to aid health care providers in managing patient volumes so huge approximately 24 million Americans required an overnight hospital stay in 2018 that even the smallest margin of error can cost many lives.

"We are currently in a foot race with the complexity of bedside care," Milstein said. Without technology assistance, perfect execution of treatment is beyond reasonable to expect.

Source-Medindia