Will AI 'Rehumanize' Healthcare

3 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 By Brian Stallard, with additional writing and reporting by Martha Vockley “I got into healthcare to take care of people, but these days, I spend all of my time taking care of machines.” This is a sentiment Pat Baird, senior regulatory specialist at Philips, has often heard from hospital nurses and other clinicians from all over the U.S. With the advent of electronic medical records, big data, and an explosion in wireless hospital technologies, the number of medical devices clinicians are expected to interact with has only increased since these complaints began. It’s a perspective that struck a chord for Baird, who serves as cochair for a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee dedicated to standardizing how AI and machine learning (ML) are implemented and regulated for medical devices. The committee was put together as part of a joint effort between the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the British Standards Institution (BSI). “Do you remember the song ‘Mr. Roboto’ by Styx, back in early 80s?” Baird recently asked a room of healthcare technology management professionals at the annual AAMI eXchange conference. As the song goes, ‘the problem’s plain to see, too much technology. Machines to save our lives, machines dehumanize.’ “I thought that was kind of awesome – very apt AT A GLANCE ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION (AAMI) WHAT: A non-profit organization for advancing the development, and safe and effective use of medical technology WHERE: Based in Arlington, Virginia WEBSITE: https://www.aami.org/ umanize’ althcare? STANDARDS LEADERS