AI in Healthcare: The AMA's Plan to Tackle Misinformation and Patient Safety

AI in healthcare

Applications of Artificial intelligence in healthcare have been explored in medical and computer science research for some time now. Much has been written about its potential applications in shaping future medical practice involving radiological and pathological diagnostic techniques as well as improving day-to-day administrative tasks in clinical practice scenarios. Although AI applications in healthcare are yet to be integrated into day-to-day medical practice, the need for AI applications in healthcare and their potential to evolve medical practice are popular topics in medical and AI research.

Need for regulatory frameworks

However, there is a need to develop regulatory guidelines about the integration of AI applications in medical practice. Till now, there are no detailed guidelines about the acceptance and integration of AI for assisting in the medical profession. One area that needs strict regulatory oversight is the application of AI in generating medical advice. Many have spoken about the future of medicine in which patients may get a tentative idea about their potential diagnoses through AI technologies and choose to or not choose to visit physicians for the management of their diseases. In this scenario, concerns have been raised regarding the frequency and gravity of medical errors by AI applications. Some have pointed out a need for a better understanding of medicine for computer scientists who develop AI applications for healthcare. On the other hand, some have encouraged the application of AI in more assistive roles with human oversight.

How AMA plans to help

A recent development about tackling these issues happened at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association. In this meeting, AMA has committed to developing the principles to assess the benefits and consequences of AI-generated medical advice and provide guidance on the effects of relying on AI-generated medical advice which may or may not be accurate. The AMA also agreed to develop guidance for policymakers to help tackle misinformation for patients. The potential benefits of AI were acknowledged by AMA while emphasizing the need to create guidelines and checkpoints to protect patients against medical misinformation, potential harms due to AI-generated medical advice, and other issues in AI technologies.

Will AMA developments impact AI in healthcare positively?

It is encouraging to see AMA come forward to develop these guidelines. The development of guidelines and regulatory requirements will be a positive step in assessing the safety and accuracy issues with AI. It will ensure that AI technologies are used safely, effectively, and ethically in healthcare. With the rapid speed of development and progress in AI, it will become a part of daily practice sooner and when it does, these steps such as those taken by organizations like AMA will provide the required safety checkpoints to ensure patient safety and avoid unnecessary harm.