What's New In Digital Health

Artificial intelligence in dermatology has become a constant source of news and excitement.  Among all of the information, it can be challenging to differentiate reality from fiction, especially when determining how it may impact your practice. Read on to discover the answers to 6 of your most asked questions about artificial intelligence for dermatology and what it means for you.

1.What Is Artificial Intelligence?
It’s important to start with the basics: artificial intelligence (AI) is a series of algorithms within a machine designed to perform a task in a way that mimics the human mind (much like a brain). In a world where healthcare is becoming extremely complex, AI is helpful for handling large quantities of data and noticing important insights that might be missed or take much longer to be found by a person.

2. What Does AI In Dermatology Look Like?
Much like humans, artificial intelligence is complex in nature and holds nearly unlimited potential within the dermatology industry. Currently, the most popular application is as an educational resource; by training the system on what thousands of dermoscopic images look like, it can use visual cues to identify new images and provide valuable evidence-based statistics.

3. How Can AI Support My Dermatology Practice?
Only one example of how AI is improving practices is by supporting clinical decisions. For example, the majority of patients first reach out to their primary care physician for feedback on a suspicious spot. However, many doctors cite their understanding of identifying cancerous lesions as “mediocre”.¹ By providing valuable insights on previously diagnosed skin cancer images, clinical decision support tools allow physicians to provide confident, quality care.

4. Is It Secure?
Before entering the healthcare industry, intelligent dermatology software such as DermEngine must adhere to all regulatory laws, such as Health 7, GDPR, HIPAA and much more. By remaining equipped with the latest encryption and securities, artificial intelligence-based software remains private and secure.

5. Is It Affordable?
With all of the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, it often sounds like an unattainable dream due to high costs, however this is not the case. Clinical decision support tools powered by AI are now being offered as a standard feature within dermatology EMR software such as DermEngine and can be used for as little as $30 per month!

6.Will AI Take My Job?
No, studies already demonstrate that artificial intelligence is not prepared to replace dermatologists or other medical professionals in their position. In contrast, research demonstrates that the highest diagnostic accuracy allow you to provide the next level of care.

Final Thoughts
Rapidly developing in dermatology and beyond, artificial intelligence is providing exciting applications to support clinical decisions for quality care. However, like any new tool, it’s important to understand first what it is and how it can support users. Although a budding innovation within healthcare, it is clear to see that artificial intelligence will become a valuable tool for optimizing patient care and workflows like never before.

1. http://practicaldermatology.com/2015/09/primary-care-providers-as-allies-in-dermatology/