A two-part report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has found that artificial intelligence tools show potential in clinical and administrative applications such as patient-provider communications.
The first part of the joint report is focused on the benefits and challenges of using AI to augment patient care while the second half provides insight into AI applications in health settings outside the hospital and clinic (HSOHC).
According to GAO and NAM, specific applications where AI would be most beneficial include recommending treatments, guiding surgical operations, monitoring patients, forecasting health outcomes and managing population health.
Challenges in AI adoption include difficulties in accessing high-quality data and issues surrounding ethical bias, the report states.
The audit's findings show that successful implementation of AI in HSOHC settings entail consideration of best practices in personal data security, insurance allocations for AI-assisted care and algorithm development.
“Overcoming these challenges and optimizing the impact of AI tools on clinical outcomes will involve engaging diverse stakeholders, deliberately designing AI tools and interfaces, rigorously evaluating clinical and economic utility, and diffusing and scaling algorithms across different health settings,” the report's authors wrote.