Member opinion - Is New Zealand ready for the AI Health Revolution?

Aceso 11/03/24 Blog — Aceso Health

Healthcare systems are perpetually ensnared in a dichotomy between the burgeoning need for additional resources and the imperative to curtail expenditures, exerting considerable strain on the efficacy of healthcare professionals. The opportunities for automation and enhancement of processes through novel technological means are expanding daily, and their successful integration could endow organizations with invaluable assets and competencies. The technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) stand as quintessential examples, offering improvements in service quality, resource efficiency, and diagnostic precision.

The healthcare system, bound by concerns for patient safety, entrenched practice traditions, or apprehensions regarding the depersonalisation of medicine, exhibits a protracted history of technological adoption inefficiencies. The introduction and subsequent adoption of the Electronic Medical Record epitomises this trend. Numerous institutions still adhere to outdated, paper-based documentation practices and often confront issues related to interoperability and a deficiency in technical expertise.

The application of AI technologies in the healthcare sector promises extensive ramifications. AI technologies are reaching unprecedented levels of accuracy and accessibility. Certain medical institutions have inaugurated data science-centric undergraduate medical programs, while major research centers have accorded priority to multidisciplinary AI investigations.

Foremost, there is a pressing need to foster and incentivise multidisciplinary collaborations in AI within the medical sphere. Medical education must adapt to embrace data science and AI. The conventional curriculum is rapidly becoming obsolete, failing to meet the needs of medical trainees or the patient demographic.

The deployment of AI technology within healthcare settings now and in the future will have wide-ranging impacts on various social factors. These encompass, but are not limited to, public and clinician trust, and educational aspects, which represent broad areas for continued consideration. The realisation of benefits within our healthcare system will largely depend on the characteristics of the AI tools implemented.

Beyond obligations pursuant to Te Tiriti, our communities possess the best understanding of what will succeed within their specific contexts. Partnership serves as a pragmatic approach to harness this knowledge, ensuring that implementation advantages various groups identified within the Pae Ora strategies.

The inevitable integration of AI in clinical settings is forthcoming. This will require a comprehensive understanding of our current landscape (encompassing legislation, policy, infrastructure, data, research, and workforce), along with a clear vision and cross-sectoral consensus on the future of healthcare.