The Application of Medical Artificial Intelligence Technology in Rural Areas of Developing Countries.

Jonathan Guo,Bin Li

doi:10.1089/heq.2018.0037

Abstract

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing computer technology that has begun to be widely used in the medical field to improve the professional level and efficiency of clinical work, in addition to avoiding medical errors. In developing countries, the inequality between urban and rural health services is a serious problem, of which the shortage of qualified healthcare providers is the major cause of the unavailability and low quality of healthcare in rural areas. Some studies have shown that the application of computer-assisted or AI medical techniques could improve healthcare outcomes in rural areas of developing countries. Therefore, the development of suitable medical AI technology for rural areas is worth discussing and probing.Methods: This article reviews and discusses the literature concerning the prospects of medical AI technology, the inequity of healthcare, and the application of computer-assisted or AI medical techniques in rural areas of developing countries.Results: Medical AI technology not only could improve physicians' efficiency and quality of medical services, but other health workers could also be trained to use this technique to compensate for the lack of physicians, thereby improving the availability of healthcare access and medical service quality. This article proposes a multilevel medical AI service network, including a frontline medical AI system (basic level), regional medical AI support centers (middle levels), and a national medical AI development center (top level).Conclusion: The promotion of medical AI technology in rural areas of developing countries might be one means of alleviating the inequality between urban and rural health services. The establishment of a multilevel medical AI service network system may be a solution.

Highlights

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing field of computer science that uses computers to simulate human learning, memory, analysis, and even innovation, which usually require human intelligence.[1,2,3] The idea of AI has existed for a long time
AI technology was first applied as a medical diagnostic decision support (MDDS) system
We propose a multilevel medical AI service network aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of rural healthcare services in developing countries, and urge the development of medical AI technology that is suitable for rural use

Summary

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing field of computer science that uses computers to simulate human learning, memory, analysis, and even innovation, which usually require human intelligence.[1,2,3] The idea of AI has existed for a long time. According to a news report from South China Morning Post, a portable all-in-one diagnostic station (weighing 11 pounds), which can run 11 tests, including blood pressure, electrocardiographs, and routine urine and blood analyses, has been used in village healthcare settings This device, which was developed by an internet healthcare company supported by the national rural healthcare program, can automatically upload results and medical records to an online data analysis system and generate a diagnosis for village health workers to review and reference. In this article, we propose a comprehensive multilevel medical AI service network aimed to improve the availability and quality of healthcare services in rural areas of developing countries

A Vision of Medical AI Technology for Rural Areas of Developing Countries

Findings

Conclusion