The advancement in computer technology has been rapid. Not only does it play a part in entertainment and communication, but the potential traces of computers in health and life are starting to rise. The application of artificial intelligence in medicine and health care is rapidly expanding. Medical diagnostics, medication discovery, care personalization, supportive health systems, genomics, and public policy management are under effect too. In certain nations, computers are integrated into sophisticated analytical instruments to help doctors diagnose and treat cancer and other diseases. But can Computers Displace doctors?
Computers use is common in many ways in health care. This certainly reduces errors and makes things more effective. These are some of the usages of computers in the medical world:
1. Robotic surgery
Robots equipped with computers will analyze someone’s messy record data before operating. During the operation, the robot will guide and direct the surgeon.
This robot can also generate new surgical techniques based on previous operations’ data to speed up and simplify the operation process.
2. Virtual nurse
A number of companies have developed this virtual nurse. Molly, developed by Sense, is one such example. This virtual nurse assists nurses in monitoring and tracking the patient’s condition.
3. Creation of new drugs
To develop medicine, clinical trials must be completed, which can take a long time and cost a lot of money. However, Computers will boost this process faster. Computers are used to scan existing medications to see how they can be redesigned to fight disease.
The Computers program has found two drugs that can reduce Ebola infectivity in just one day.
4. Predict early cancer and Back Pain
Computers are used to predict cancer patients by obtaining information from a person’s DNA. AI will perform a body scan to identify cancers and diseases that individuals may face based on their genetics.
AI-programmed computers are used to deduct lower back pain or Sciatica pain problems and educate patients about topics like using the right office chair for back pain, having a massage, exercising, and following Yoga tips.
5. Health monitoring
The use of computer technology in health monitoring can be seen in smartwatches’ technology. It can track the user’s heart rate and activity level. A smartwatch can monitor user habits information. Doctors can use these if the user becomes sick.
5 Reasons Why can’t Computers Displace doctors
Over the next 10-15 years, computer use will become more common in healthcare. Furthermore, computers will change the definition of what it means to be a doctor. Some tasks will be eliminated, while others will be added to the work routine. However, the embodiment of automation, whether a robot or an algorithm, would never be able to take the place of a doctor.
Let me tell you five reasons why can’t Computers Displace Doctors:
1. Empathy cannot be Displaced
Even if the array of technologies had genius solutions, they would struggle to mimic empathy. Why is this so? Because at the core of compassion is the process of building trust: listening to the other person, listening to their needs, expressing empathy, and reacting in a way that the other person knows they were understood.
At the moment, you would not put your trust in a computer or a smart algorithm to make a life-altering decision or even to decide whether or not to take painkillers. We don’t even trust machines in activities where they are better than humans. E.g., taking blood samples. We would need doctors to hold our hands while asking us about a life-changing diagnosis and guide us through counselling and provide overall support. A computer cannot Displace that.
2. Physicians have a non-linear working method
Data, measurements, and quantitative analytics are all important components of a doctor’s work. It will play a much larger role in the future. Setting up a diagnosis and treating a patient are not linear procedures. It requires creativity and problem-solving abilities that computers and robots will never have.
Patients and their lifestyles vary to the degree that people differ. Diseases carry this same feature. As a result, no cases are the same. Each of them requires human physicians’ attention. Doctors used to translate data from simple medical devices into medical decisions until the emergence of complex, digital solutions. The task will remain the same in the future. They will employ more complex technologies.
3. Complex digital technologies require competent professionals
More sophisticated digital health technologies would require qualified medical professionals’ skills.
The human brain is very complex and capable of overseeing a large scale of knowledge and data. So, it is simply not worth developing a computer that can Displace it. It is beneficial to program the routine, data-driven tasks while leaving the complex decision to the person. So we’re not saying it’s impossible. We’re saying it’s unrealistic and not worth the effort.
4. There will always be tasks algorithms, and robots will never be able to complete
Doctors, nurses, and other medical staff members must complete plenty of cumbersome monotonous and repetitive activities every day. According to one study in the US, a doctor spends 8.7 hours a week on administration.
Psychiatrists spent the most time on paperwork (20.3 percent of their working hours), followed by internists (17.3 percent ) and family/general practitioners (17.3 percent ). These types of tasks and procedures can and should be automated.
However, there are certain roles and duties that computers cannot perform. IBM Watson, on the other hand, can sift through millions of pages of records in a matter of seconds. But, it cannot perform the Heimlich maneuver. There will always be activities where humans are faster, more efficient, and less costly.
5. It has never been tech vs human
The constant development of an enemy picture should come to an end once and for all. It has never been a matter of technology vs humans. It is because technological advancements have always served to benefit people. The ultimate response is a collaboration between humans and technology.
Deep learning research for identifying metastatic breast cancer found something similar. When the deep learning system’s predictions were paired with a human pathologist’s diagnosis, the image classification and tumor localization score significantly improved. Furthermore, the rate of human error came down to 85 percent. The research shows that when artificial intelligence and humans work together, they are most effective.
Technology can help doctors be better, but it won’t Displace them
Technology may help doctors develop their skills. But never will the computers Displace doctors– at least not anytime soon. It is possible that primary care physicians could Displace some specialists, and nurses could Displace some primary care doctors. Still, the long-term outlook is that most doctors will continue to do their jobs, just better and faster with the help of technology.
Technology can play a vital role in changing how care is provided. However, just because technology can handle some routine care away from the hospital through sensors and wearable devices does not mean that care can be given in doctors’ absence. Healthcare workers will remain important. It is because the entire healthcare system depends on their knowledge, experience, and intuition. It would take a long time to automate everything. Rather than expecting that computers Displace doctors, finding ways to push physicians and other healthcare professionals to deal with the most difficult issues and leaving routine tasks to machines is a much more achievable goal.
