By Dr. Jason Handza
Chief Medical Officer
Nextech
LinkedIn:
Jason Handza
AAO 2024 Elevate
When: October 18-21, 2024
Where: McCormick Place, Chicago
Event Page
Hashtag: #AAO2024
Register for this event.
Spoiler alert: keep your eyes on AI.
As we prepare for the 2024 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) conference, there’s no doubt artificial intelligence (AI) will be a focal point. While the healthcare industry continues to develop and deploy this technology, we’re met with an array of perspectives from enthusiasm to curiosity to skepticism on the AI frontier. Amid hundreds of vendors touting the significant potential of AI to reshape clinical workflows, it’s important to approach these advancements with discernment.
While many AI tools promise to enhance efficiency, reduce back-office burden, foster better clinical decision making, and improve patient outcomes, not all solutions are created equal. Some may even seem too good to be true.
Below we explore four considerations to be on the lookout for at AAO ’24.
1. Stay grounded in your clinical expertise. AI is an evolving technology, and while its possible applications are impressive, remember your expertise and lived experience cannot be replaced by technology. The best way to ensure accurate, safe, and responsible AI is to continue tapping into your professional knowledge and think of AI as another tool in your clinical toolbox.
Like a radiologist using an X-ray machine to gain critical insights into what’s happening inside a patient, AI can empower your clinical workflow and complement your expertise, but it will not dominate your ability to discern, problem solve, think critically, and provide compassionate patient care.
Keep in mind, the systems available now will look different in six, 12, and 18 months. This rapid evolution means solutions introduced today will require regular updates and recalibrations as technology improves and new regulations roll out.
2. Beware of smoke and mirrors. Some AI solutions are marketed with bold claims of revolutionizing the way we diagnose, treat, and manage patients. It’s important to scrutinize these claims. When faced with enticing marketing of AI tools, ask yourself the following questions.
- Does the solution offer evidence to support these claims?
- Has it been validated in peer-reviewed studies or through practical clinical application?
- Can the AI explain how it arrived at a decision or recommendation, or is it a “black box” where the rationale behind its conclusions is hidden? How can I trust the output?
Maintaining a critical eye is imperative to sort practical solutions from marketing hype to security risks. Educating yourself on research and trends, engaging in discourse with trusted peers, and staying up to date on industry best practices is crucial for any healthcare advancement, especially in the nuanced, evolving AI era. Your clinical judgment plays an important role in any successful technology integration.
3. Look for transparent solutions with a commitment to customer support. No AI tool is a silver bullet, so it’s essential to view these systems as assistive, not decisive. Evaluate AI vendors based on their commitment to transparency and ethics and look for partners who participate and contribute to industry dialogue and best practices for responsible AI.
Understanding how an AI system reaches its conclusions and analyzing its output for accuracy is paramount, especially when handling highly sensitive patient data. AI tools must be configured and reconfigured repeatedly to incorporate changing regulations and privacy and security standards, and to avoid biases.
Furthermore, seek technology partners that are committed to customer success and value continuous training, communication, and support as a part of your ongoing relationship. It’s vital that AI solutions are proactively updated. The right technology partner must be committed to monitoring and incorporating these changes. Find organizations that embrace questions and are willing to work with you and your back-office and clinical teams to make sure AI integrations meet your needs.
4. Watch out for third-party AI. Relying solely on third-party AI can create a lot of challenges, and in the rush to stake a claim in healthcare AI, many companies have quickly turned to third-party solutions to speed up getting features to market. Some of these options might come with their own separate user interface, which doesn’t always blend well with the primary system.
While not all third-party solutions are “bad,” the fact is that these vendors may not come from the healthcare world, and that can seriously affect how well the technology fits into clinical workflows. This lack of industry knowledge can ultimately limit AI’s usefulness and accuracy.
Answer the call for intentional innovation
With the excitement and promise of growing AI possibilities buzzing through the industry, it’s important that leaders remain selective in their approach. While AI holds significant potential to streamline and augment healthcare workflows, not all solutions are created equal. At AAO ’24, you’ll see AI tools that push the boundaries of what’s possible, but it’s important to evaluate them with an analytical mindset. Intentional innovation in healthcare can only succeed when it is grounded in a strong commitment to high-quality patient care and the thoughtful application of clinical expertise. While the future of AI is bright, it’s your knowledge and experience that will ultimately guide its most impactful and responsible use.