A recent survey showed that 42% of healthcare workers reported experienced work-related burnout.

COVID-19 has definitely contributed to this alarmingly high statistic. But even before the pandemic, the healthcare industry had a reputation for high rates of burnout. Doctors become doctors because they care about their patients. But, other admin leaves little time to put patients first.

Today we’re exploring ambient clinical intelligence in medical settings. Below we discuss how AI can improve physician burnout and lead to better healthcare.

What Is Ambient Clinical Intelligence?

There are tons of emerging industry trends when it comes to AI and medicine. Ambient clinical intelligence is a branch of this technology. It refers to electronic sensors and artificial intelligence embedded in medical settings. This technology gathers and interprets data to make these spaces more effective.

How Is It Used?

So what exactly does this mean? AI can be difficult to wrap your head around without some concrete examples.

An example of ambient clinical intelligence could be voice recognition software for consults. This technology is used in the consultation room. It records and transcribes the session in real-time.

This ambient intelligence eliminates rushed note-taking and writing up reports after the consultation. Instead, it compiles your notes and updates the patient’s EMR so you don’t have to. It’s able to pick up on symptoms, medical history, and other vital diagnostic information. Once the session is over, the practitioner will simply review and sign the report.

The best thing about this technology is its ability to learn and adapt to the clinician using it. This helps to constantly improve the healthcare environment.

Why Is This Important? 

The primary importance of ambient clinical intelligence is putting patients first. This is because it allows clinicians to focus solely on patients.

Ambient intelligence can pick up on gaps in the medical process and gather vital data. This data is then used to improve everything from consultations to surgical procedures. With the transcription side of things sorted, clinicians can put all their focus on a patients’ well-being. Instead of multi-tasking, they can be present in their in-person consultations. Doctors are only human, and exhaustion from burnout can make practicing medicine difficult.

The development of ambient intelligence is as beneficial to patients as it is to healthcare practitioners. This is because AI helps to create a more accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Are There Any Downsides?

Critics of artificial intelligence will always have concerns about its use in the healthcare industry. This extends to everything from data privacy to job loss. But the laws and ethics around data are under scrutiny and are being improved to ensure the prioritization of data privacy.

The aim of this technology is not to replace important jobs in the medical field. AI is being used to improve existing jobs and processes. Most importantly it creates new ways of practicing medicine informed by data.

Artificial Intelligence: Revolutionizing the Healthcare Industry

New ways of combining medicine and artificial intelligence are emerging fast. It’s clear that the positive benefits of AI in the healthcare industry far outweigh the negatives. If you enjoyed this article, we’ve got so much more exploring the business of healthcare and technology. To learn more, get in touch today!