AI helps diagnose, but doesn’t replace doctor in 3T area, this is the reason
Utilization of AI in 3T Regional Health Services
Utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help health services in disadvantaged, leading, and outermost areas (3T) is considered to have great potential as a breakthrough. However, this technology should not be considered a substitute for a doctor. This was conveyed by the epidemiologist Dicky Budiman who emphasized that AI should function as a clinical decision support system, not as a doctor’s takeover.
According to Dicky, AI can be a tool in several aspects of health services, such as the initial triage of patients, reading the results of medical examinations, to administration. In areas that still lack medical personnel, AI can speed up the service process without losing the role of health workers.
AI as a support system
AI is designed to support clinical decisions, not replace the role of doctors. In practice, AI can help health workers perform initial triage, read X-rays, electrocardiograms (ECGs), or other medical images that have been validated. This technology also has the potential to help identify risk factors for disease and facilitate teleconsultation between health workers in the area and specialist doctors in big cities.
However, the diagnosis still requires a history, physical examination, understanding of the patient’s social condition, and clinical assessment of health workers. “So, the diagnosis requires a good history, interviews, physical examinations, understanding the patient’s social context, clinical assessment, and professional responsibility,” explained Dicky.
use of AI in the medical field
Although able to recognize patterns in medical data, AI has not been able to replace the diagnostic process carried out by doctors. According to Dicky, the use of AI has grown rapidly in the medical world. This technology is widely used in the field of radiology to help read X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, to mammography. Under certain conditions, the ability of AI to recognize specific patterns can even match experienced radiologists.
In addition to radiology, AI is also used in the field of pathology to help detect cancer cells through tissue analysis. In the field of ophthalmology, AI is used for screening glaucoma, retinal disease, and diabetic retinopathy. While in cardiology, AI helps interpret ECG results and predicts the risk of heart disease.
However, the use of the greatest AI is not to replace the diagnostic process. This technology is mostly used to compile medical record summaries, help document service, compile medical reports, and find the latest scientific evidence. With reduced administrative burden, doctors have more time to interact and examine patients directly.
more accurate results with collaboration
Various studies have shown that AI is able to increase the speed of diagnosis, make the reading of examination results more consistent, improve service efficiency, and help early detection of a number of diseases. However, the best results are actually obtained when AI is used with health workers. “So, studies show a combination of AI plus clinicians. These clinicians can be doctors or nurses. This produces better accuracy than AI alone, or doctors alone,” he said.
The main challenges of health services in the 3T area
On the other hand, the main problem of health services in the 3T area must still be resolved. Namely through equal distribution of doctors, increasing incentives, strengthening telemedicine services, increasing the capacity of health workers, and developing national AIs using Indonesian public health data. Thus, technology can strengthen the health system without reducing the role of doctors in providing services to patients.
