From Hype to Action: AI series: Who will benefit from AI solutions

In our previous post, we emphasized the importance of asking the right questions, identifying areas where AI solutions can be beneficial, and estimating the necessary effort to implement such solutions. However, there is another crucial aspect that we must consider: the person who will benefit from these solutions.

Every healthcare organization has a diverse set of personnel who could use and derive added value from AI solutions. Therefore, it is essential to focus on the right personnel, plan how their jobs will look after the implementation, and verify that the change has real value.

For instance, if our solution is for physicians, and we plan to add a clinical decision support module, we have to ensure that physicians understand and agree with the methodology. In some cases, especially with a black box module, physicians may not be comfortable receiving recommendations without explanations. They may not want to act solely based on module recommendations. In such scenarios, we must engage physicians from the start and ensure an explainable AI module. Furthermore, we need to choose cases with a higher impact, such as focusing on the most common diseases we treat in the organization.

Another area where AI solutions could be of great help is scheduling optimization. Healthcare organizations often struggle to optimize their resources and minimize no-shows. AI solutions can assist us in identifying patterns, predicting no-show probabilities, and providing recommendations to improve scheduling. In this case, the users are the administrative managers, and we must ensure that we focus on solutions that they will be happy to work with.

It is worth noting that successful AI implementation requires effective communication and collaboration between different personnel groups. Therefore, we should encourage a culture of open communication and transparency. We must ensure that everyone involved in the implementation process, from physicians to administrative managers, has a clear understanding of the objectives, the potential benefits, and the limitations of AI solutions.

Furthermore, we must emphasize the importance of continuous learning and improvement. AI solutions are not static; they require continuous updates and maintenance to remain effective. Therefore, healthcare organizations must invest in training personnel on the latest developments and ensure the solutions are up-to-date.

In conclusion, AI solutions have the potential to revolutionize healthcare organizations. However, to realize their benefits, we must focus on the right personnel, choose the right cases, and ensure effective communication, collaboration, and continuous learning. By doing so, we can transform healthcare organizations into more efficient, effective, and patient-centric entities.