Artur Olesch, About Digital Health: Thanks to AI, healthcare has the opportunity to become more humane than ever

Healthcare systems revealed all their weaknesses and black holes during the pandemic, showing that the situation is almost equally bad in both wealthier and less wealthy countries. Systems globally began to crack under the weight of the pandemic at the greatest possible cost – that of lost trust in the system.

This was precisely the topic of discussion at the ‘HealthComm Forum 2023’, as well as how AI and technology can restore the damaged trust. One of the more notable speakers was Artur Olesch, a journalist, founder of the About Digital Health portal, and a person who probably knows the most about digital medicine, so we took the opportunity in an interview to discuss how we are faring with patching up healthcare systems and when digital medicine will happen for us.

The unavailability of doctors and hospitals during the pandemic has already initiated new trends (driven by technology), but it has also damaged trust in the system. How can we rebuild trust and what role does technology play in this?

– The pandemic was an unprecedented crisis that merely exposed the existing weaknesses of healthcare systems: from a shortage of healthcare workers to inefficient workflows. These are problems that have been dragging on for years. Namely, the pillars of current healthcare systems were created decades ago, and they are not at all compatible with what individuals and societies expect today, nor with the growing gap between demand, as we have an aging and chronically ill society, and supply, as there are fewer and fewer doctors and nurses and poor healthcare infrastructure.

This gap causes an erosion of trust in healthcare. Rebuilding trust requires smart policies and strategies, and technology can help here. It can automate administrative processes so that doctors have more time for patients. It can also take over some repetitive and simple tasks; AI algorithms can review, analyze, and interpret data, and doctors do not have to waste time on that. However, technology is not a magic wand; it can improve processes, but first, we need to design new ones, as the old ones no longer work.

Trust is not a problem only because of the pandemic. Healthcare services have become increasingly expensive, inaccessible to many. How can we restore the trust of those who have remained outside the system?

– No one should be left outside the system. If that is the case, it is an alarming sign that something has truly gone wrong. There will be no trust if there is no solidarity in healthcare. I know this is easier said than done, especially when healthcare expenditures are rising rapidly and budgets are limited. However, more money does not guarantee greater trust or better treatment outcomes. The U.S. is the best example, where healthcare costs account for 17.8 percent of GDP, compared to 7.7 in Croatia.

Therefore, if technology can optimize processes in the healthcare system, we should harness its transformative power. About 80 percent of healthcare costs relate to chronic diseases, most of which can be prevented. But in an analog healthcare system, we can only continue to implement ineffective preventive measures for everyone. Since everyone has a smartphone that can become a health management center, we can deliver tailored health guidelines or tools that reduce the administrative burden on doctors.

What will be the price of health in a world of technology? And who will have access to it?

– Technology will not automatically lower drug prices. That is the responsibility of healthcare policy. However, technology can, for example, expand access to healthcare services through easily accessible and affordable telemedicine services. We need to increase in-person visits to remote care as we lack human resources and cannot afford to wait for a new crisis to bring the healthcare system back to breaking point.

We must ensure that visits to doctors are available to those who truly need them and that issuing a new prescription for a chronic patient can be quickly done online. We need e-referrals to manage queues for specialists and electronic health records to avoid repeated medical tests. Basic digital health services must be available to everyone – I mean health assessments, referrals, and initial teleconsultations with nurses.

Of course, digital literacy is crucial for all of this. Access to technology is also becoming a determinant of health: after all, telemedicine can only be used by those who have a smartphone and the right knowledge to install and use the right application.

How much can the application of the latest technologies in healthcare affect achieving the ultimate goal? And what is that?

– Significantly! Medicine is an art, but also a science. An art, because the doctor-patient relationship is something precious that we need to preserve. It is about listening, helping, supporting, encouraging, giving hope, and going through suffering together. But it is also a science – all decisions in healthcare are data-driven.

Today, many conclusions about patients’ health are biased or based on incomplete information because most data is locked in data silos. Tomorrow, the free flow of data will enable the automation of many processes, even predicting health conditions. As a result, the doctor will become the architect of health, not a mechanic who fixes patients. And the goal? A long life in the best health until old age.

AI is certainly a disruptor and game changer. What can we overall expect from AI in healthcare?

– First of all, support in decision-making for both the patient and the doctor. No doctor has the time to study the complete medical history of a patient and read all the new scientific publications to treat them according to evidence-based medicine. AI can analyze that data, select the most relevant information, and deliver concise knowledge to the doctor so that they can make the final decision without doubts.

AI already acts as a second pair of eyes in radiology, for example, detecting less cancerous lesions, sometimes unnoticed by the radiologist. Also, patients feel lost when they make hundreds of health-related decisions daily. General advice like ‘eat healthy’ or ‘exercise more’ usually does not work, but AI can tell you what exercises are good for you by tracking data from electronic patient records.

Can you give us an example of AI becoming a ‘health assistant’?

– Here, for example, digital therapeutics – online platforms and applications whose effectiveness is scientifically proven, often in clinical trials. Many AI-driven DTx are successfully used in treating back pain, insomnia, anxiety, or mild depression.

By applying AI algorithms, they track the patient’s progress and adjust therapeutic programs in real-time. DTx are not just fitness applications that measure calories burned or steps taken. They provide continuous feedback and personalized guidance and can contribute to classical therapies by activating patient engagement. The idea is that the patient leaves the doctor’s office with a digitally tailored plan.

Overall, how do you see our health in the future after nearly collapsed systems around the globe?

– Very optimistically. Yes, the human brain does not like change; it prefers stability to save energy and survive, which was crucial for our ancestors and still affects our functioning. But believe me, thanks to AI, healthcare has the opportunity to become more humane than ever. Patients will be able to be treated according to the best medical knowledge, regardless of location.

Healthcare will be hybrid, digital-analog, and patients will more often be treated at home than in hospitals. We will discover diseases at a very early stage. AI will stimulate research to find new drugs that could help eliminate major killers like cancer. However, this transformation will not happen by chance. Leadership is needed to manage the transition to digitally driven healthcare. We need a new roadmap for healthcare in the digital age.

Read the entire conversation in the digital and printed edition of Lider.