Tech

Are the AI safeguards currently in place sufficient to prevent a doomsday scenario?

Tech
December 2, 2024

My vote for Time’s Person of the Year is Artificial Intelligence (AI). I think AI is the most talked about and hyped (overhyped?) development of 2024, already transforming operations across numerous sectors, from manufacturing to financial services. In the health sector, AI has ushered in groundbreaking advancements in several areas, including psychotherapy, substituting for therapists and also posing ominous portents for physicians. AI systems that learn …

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Addressing the mental health crisis with virtual on demand

Tech
November 26, 2024

The U.S. is grappling with a mental health crisis. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in five US adults live with a mental illness. This includes disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more, ranging in severity from mild-moderate to severe.

Telehealth has proven to be an effective tool in addressing the crisis by improving access to care, reducing stigma, and providing flexible, timely support.

Imagine …

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How each generation sees AI: a reflection on adaptation

Tech
November 19, 2024

Disclaimer: This is a broad generalization meant to spark reflection. While no one perfectly fits into generational boxes, these insights are designed to explore how each age group navigates the evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI).

Generation Z (born 1997–2012): the digital natives

How they see AI: AI is like oxygen for Gen Z—essential, omnipresent, and often unnoticed. Growing up with smartphones, streaming algorithms, and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, …

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Reducing medical errors from health care AI: lessons from Claude Shannon and Max Planck on precision in medicine

Tech
November 17, 2024

In 1948, Claude Shannon revolutionized the world of communication with his theory of information, showing that precision and efficiency could emerge from chaos. Roughly 40 years earlier, Max Planck had done something similar in physics by discovering the rules of quantum mechanics, reducing uncertainty in an unpredictable universe. These two minds, though working in entirely different fields, shared a common vision: to bring order out of entropy. Today, their legacies …

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From handwritten notes to digital solutions: a journey in health IT

Tech
November 13, 2024

The journey of electronic health records (EHRs) mirrors my own professional transformation. As a practicing anesthesiologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in the early 2000s, I handwrote paper charts in an era when computers were already integral to other parts of the hospital.

Relying on manual notes was frustrating and inefficient, so I jumped at the chance to help implement Moffitt’s anesthesia electronic record system. This effort sparked an interest in health …

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The role and pitfalls of health care artificial intelligence algorithms in closed-loop anesthesia systems

Tech
November 12, 2024

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) have been advancing steadily in health care, and anesthesia is no exception. A critical development in this area is the rise of closed-loop AI systems, which automatically control specific medical variables using feedback mechanisms. The primary goal of these systems is to improve the stability of key physiological parameters, minimize the repetitive workload on anesthesia practitioners, and, most importantly, enhance patient outcomes. For instance, closed-loop …

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Ensuring optimal functionality for IoT devices in outpatient care

Tech
November 6, 2024

From defibrillators and ventilators to infusion pumps and dialysis equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) medical devices significantly enhance outpatient care. Patients can record and send measurements remotely, eliminating the need for follow-up visits. At the same time, these devices help understaffed outpatient facilities that might not have the capacity to send caregivers for home visits. However, to ensure the optimal functionality of these IoT outpatient devices, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) …

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AI medical scribes: Boosting efficiency or risking over-reliance?

Tech
October 29, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming health care at extremely rapid rates. In this ever-evolving world of health care technology, clinicians should be searching for ways to optimize their workflow, improve patient care, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. One of the most talked-about innovations lately is the AI medical scribe.

But many nurse practitioners, physicians, physician associates, and other health care providers are wondering: should clinicians actually use an AI medical …

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How automation helps nurses return to the bedside

Tech
October 29, 2024

I have been in health care and worked as a bedside nurse for more than 30 years now. Early in my career a surgeon said to me, “I could have made changes if I had that information sooner. I’ve had 200 people on my operating room table during this time.”

The surgeon was referring to critical data within medical registries, which are used by clinicians to improve care delivery. Registries have …

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Embracing the advantages of digitization in health care

Tech
October 22, 2024

Due to rising rates of burnout and depression among health care providers, the U.S. is looking at a projected shortfall of over 3.2 million health care workers by 2026. In parallel, the health care industry is grappling with a 13 percent decline in provider productivity that is directly correlated with the increased adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs). This raises a critical question on …

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Towards a future for semi-autonomous AI-powered primary care providers

Tech
October 14, 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 4.5 billion people do not have access to primary care. In the US alone, the American Medical Association (AMA) claims 83 million Americans do not have access, and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) puts the number even higher at one-third of the US population or over 100 million, including many children (NACHC).

Since losing my brother, a cardiologist, to a misdiagnosis …

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The role of AI in improving health care: artificial intelligence and appreciative inquiry

Tech
September 28, 2024

Kim Downey:

Part of my work supporting physicians involves facilitating connections, both among physicians and with others who assist them. In this vein, I introduced Dr. Wael Saasouh to Lisa Scardina. Our discussion touched on AI, with Dr. Saasouh sharing positive ways we can use technology and Lisa offering her perspective on AI, which also stands for Appreciative Inquiry. How we connect and have conversations matters! We talked about hope and …

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Improve your medical presentations: How to embed videos in PowerPoint like a pro

Tech
September 23, 2024

An excerpt from Medical Presentations.

In our workshops, one of the most common issues that participants raise relates to using videos in PowerPoint. They are unsure how to source videos and are afraid to use them based on past experiences. The risks associated with using video in PowerPoint have diminished significantly with recent versions. Previously, videos were linked to your presentation, so you had to save the video in the …

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How AI could widen health disparities without stronger policies

Tech
September 15, 2024

In the realm of health care, artificial intelligence (AI) stands as a beacon of transformative potential. With its ability to process vast amounts of data, AI promises to streamline diagnostic processes, enhance treatment precision, and revolutionize patient care. Yet, it’s overshadowed by various ethical concerns about perpetuating existing biases and systemic discrimination.

AI development is ultimately influenced by the datasets it’s trained on, making it vulnerable to biases present in that …

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How to regulate generative AI in health care

Tech
September 13, 2024

Generative AI is revolutionizing health care, particularly large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. The potential is immense, from advanced diagnostic tools to predictive analytics and decision-support systems. However, our regulatory landscape has not kept pace. Traditional frameworks for new drugs and devices are inadequate for the unique characteristics of generative AI.

This article outlines a comprehensive framework to effectively regulate generative AI in health care, striking a crucial …

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Time to get digital in your practice

Tech
September 7, 2024

Can you imagine if you were shopping online and placing an order took eight hours? What if your order took 26 days to arrive? Sadly, this is the current state of many Americans’ struggles to schedule their doctors’ appointments. We, as physicians, can do better.

Americans are spending an average of eight hours a month managing their health care and are waiting 26 days to see a new doctor in many …

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How AI is reshaping the anesthesia workforce

Tech
August 29, 2024

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.”
– H. G. Wells, 1945

Many anesthesia professionals will likely recall the rise and fall of the Sedasys platform. Touted as a revolutionary advancement that would one day put anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists “out of work,” the Sedasys computerized propofol-infusion platform predictably generated a fierce response from anesthesia professional societies who deemed it dangerous, off-label, and fraught with medicolegal liability. Sedasys …

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Unmasking online scams: How to stay safe as a visible patient advocate

Tech
August 18, 2024

As a health care writer and patient advocate for people in pain, I spend a lot of time online on venues like Facebook, Quora, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter). I am visible. And because I am visible, many people reach out to me seeking help or doctor referrals to the few clinicians who are still prescribing safe and effective opioid pain relievers. In recent years, I have also been contacted …

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Adopting technology to support the nurse workforce and provide smarter, safer care delivery

Tech
August 16, 2024

The U.S. health care industry is facing a nursing shortage crisis driven in part by burnout and technology burden, which was further emphasized by the COVID-19 pandemic. To improve working conditions for nurses and drive quality patient care, industry leaders must prioritize implementing technologies that support the nursing workforce and care delivery.

I practiced earlier in my career as a critical care nurse at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. From this …

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Stop physician burnout: the hidden danger of AI note-writing software

Tech
August 15, 2024

AI note-writing software will provide massive short-term relief to stressed-out physicians, effectively disconnecting the quality of notes from personal data entry skills. Unfortunately, after a brief respite from the stress of documentation, things could worsen.

The first EMR software was implemented in the early 2000s. The increased stress of digital documentation caused physician burnout rates to jump by 20 percent. Every study conducted since that time has identified documentation burden as …

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CME Spotlights