Artificial intelligence: how AdventHealth is using technology to improve whole-person care

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in health care settings, but it won’t replace your doctor, Victor Herrera, MD, chief clinical officer of the Central Florida Division, told the Orlando Sentinel.

“We are not trying to replace people’s thinking. We’re just trying to enhance it,” Dr. Herrera said. “There is always a physician, a nurse, a licensed professional [who] is ultimately making the decision.”

AdventHealth is using AI in more than 40 different ways, each one of which has been reviewed and approved by an advisory board that takes patient safety and privacy into account before approving technology for use. The board includes top health care professionals along with industry experts to help vet each program before it’s put into use with patients.

Among the ways AI is being used at AdventHealth is in the imaging department to detect early signs of potential strokes. The system has X-rays with AI that screen for osteoporosis. AI also monitors patients and sends alerts about signs of sepsis, the leading cause of hospital deaths in the U.S.

“A question we often get when talking about AI is: Will doctors and other health care workers be replaced by technology?” Dr. Herrera said. “The answer is no. These tools will not replace but augment the capabilities of the workforce and will help them be more effective and efficient doing their jobs, while improving their experience when taking care of patients.”

Another way AI can help in clinical settings is by streamlining basic tasks. For example, using ambient listening tools during physician/patient visits so the doctor can focus solely on talking to the patient, while the tool transcribes the relevant information for the patient’s record and documentation.

“Like any evolving technology, no one can predict how AI will benefit the health care industry in years to come,” Dr. Herrera said. “But we believe AI has the power to help our providers and patients in many ways when used responsibly, with more uses to come as the technology becomes more reliable and advanced.”