Artificial intelligence and blockchain have profound potential in fostering transformative growth in the healthcare system.
The healthcare problem goes far beyond the basics: We lack decentralized, informed data. We also lack significant personnel, with a general trend of less than 1 physician per 1000 population.
The medical sector and its staff are being stretched thin. AI and blockchain can help mitigate this by taking on more basical medical duties and decentralizing data. Here’s how.
Artificially intelligent doctors
‘Smart’ doctors – intelligent machines – might sound like a potential disaster; however, machines could easily handle the lesser cases in healthcare, to potentially an even better degree than a person, who experiences fatigue and is often overworked.
The basic cold and flu can be diagnosed and dealt with by AI. As well, AI has access to far more data than a doctor’s general knowledge. This can not only do basic work, but also assist doctors in supporting their diagnoses, and discovering the best solution for a problem.
Blockchain technology
Blockchain provides a decentralized, traceable ledger for the storage of information. With the right permissions, patient information can be shared between practitioners and doctors to ensure that the entire historical patient information is shared.
Another potential application of blockchain in healthcare is utilising the ledger to trace drug supply chains. Counterfeit drugs are widespread; however, their distribution could be mitigated through improved recordkeeping and security.
Wearable technology
Wearables allow physicians to track their patients’ health, from heart rate to sleeping patterns. In fact, Fitbit (the traditional wearable device) has been found to warn people about oncoming health conditions or attacks by informing them that their heartrate has become abnormal.
This sort of medical feedback can be adjusted to become more medically focused. While Fitbit can provide a good resource for doctors especially in emergencies, they are not geared towards obtaining accurate and relevant client information.
AI has the potential to guide the wearable experience. It can provide intelligent insights into our health, as well as identify deviations from the norm. This allows medical professionals to pinpoint if a person’s health is declining without even having to verbally communicate, which is ideal in situations where there is not enough time for a person to seek help.
AI and blockchain are transforming the way we interact with the healthcare sector and making it easier for us to seek help. Interested in finding out more about blockchain’s potential? You can read about our blockchain-enabled platform STAMP here.