The Future of Surgery is More Than Robots – The Medical Futurist Newsletter

Very steady hands [An investor recently proposed]( that every person in the US should have access to free primary care provided by AI. This is an interesting thought, especially given the current and projected shortages of doctors - but it requires immense amounts of thinking and planning on all levels. On a lighter note, I've recently launched a brand-new course on futures thinking. [Check out the first video]( for a sneak peek – it might just spark your inner futurist. And also: if you've ever wondered what a precision medicine utopia might look like, I [tried to explain it in 60 seconds](. I hope you will find the newsletter useful! Best regards, Berci Bertalan Meskó, PhD The Medical Futurist [THE TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE OF SURGERY]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AI, surgical robots, 3D printing and new imaging methods are already used on a wide scale of procedures. But there’s much more to the future of surgery than that. Meanwhile, to preserve the human component, surgeons may need to place greater emphasis on doctor-patient relationships, communication, and empathy. [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? AI revolutionizes every stage of the surgical pathway, and this is only the tip of the iceberg with technologies like surgical robots, AR and VR, and 3D printing also majorly impacting this specialty. [YOU CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE YOURSELF]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Our brand new short course, "A Guide To Navigating Potential Futures," is out now to equip you with the essential tools to break free from simply reacting to the future and instead, actively predict and shape your own path. Intrigued? To give you a taste of what's in store, I’m sharing the course's introductory video. This will help you decide if mastering the art of anticipating the future resonates with you. [WATCH THE VIDEO]( [ONLINE COURSE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLLIGENCE IN MEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AI is getting more and more prominent in our everyday and professional lives, and we all will need to learn to deal with it. We designed this course to cover all bases, from the basic terms and concepts to introducing the use cases, discussing social and ethical implications and facing the greatest challenges. You will get up to speed in no time. [ENROLL HERE]( [DIGITAL HEALTH RADAR 2024]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Wavestone, an IT service management company, analyzed 17 high-interest startups in the European digital health market. Despite the decline in investment, the sector is driven by startups that leverage technology, patient insights, and evidence-based approaches to improve healthcare delivery. As the market evolves, these startups are well-positioned to lead the way in transforming patient care and operational efficiency in healthcare systems. [READ MORE]( WHY IT'S IMPORTANT? While the U.S. digital health startup ecosystem is well-established, Europe presents unique challenges and opportunities. [GENERATIVE AI ENHANCES INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY BUT REDUCES THE COLLECTIVE DIVERSITY OF NOVEL CONTENT]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This study analyzed the causal impact of generative AI ideas on the production of short stories. Some writers obtained story ideas from a large language model while others didn't. The study found that "access to generative AI ideas causes stories to be evaluated as more creative, better written, and more enjoyable, especially among less creative writers. However, generative AI–enabled stories are more similar to each other than stories by humans alone." [READ MORE]( WHY IT'S IMPORTANT? The use of generative AI increases individual creativity at the risk of losing collective novelty. This is what I experience too while using ChatGPT for our research. [FITTERFLY, GOOGLE CLOUD LAUNCH MEAL TRACKING APP USING COMPUTER VISION]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Fitterfly, an India-based digital therapeutics company, announced a new feature developed with Google Cloud, which allows individuals with diabetes to track their meals by taking photos of them. "Users can take or upload a picture of their meal. The AI-enabled app will scan its database, which includes 37,000+ Indian foods, to recognize and analyze the food. The algorithm will determine portion size and provide a detailed breakdown of calorie count and micronutrient and macronutrient distribution." [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? I'd definitely try such an app as it would be a game changer compared to apps like MyFitnessPal. [AI TOOL SUCCESSFULLY RESPONDS TO PATIENT QUESTIONS IN EHR]( --------------------------------------------------------------- NYU Langone Health has a communication tool build into their electronic health records through which patients can ask their physicians questions, refill prescriptions, and review test results. It's a great communication tool but some physicians received more than 150 messages (!!) per day. "Now a new study shows that an AI tool can draft responses to patients’ EHR queries as accurately as their human healthcare professionals, and with greater perceived “empathy.” [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? Fantastic case study and an example of how you can bring generative AI into the practice of medicine through evidence-based studies. MORE NEWS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE --------------------------------------------------------------- MAYO CLINIC – [Top hospitals ranked for AI innovation]( DO NO HARM – [More people are turning to mental health AI chatbots. What could go wrong?]( PREEMIES – [Artificial placenta: A new lifeline for premature babies?]( HIDE'N'SEEK – [Genetic cloaking of healthy cells opens door to universal blood cancer therapy]( [color-forwardtofriend-48.png](mailto:berci@medicalfuturist.com) [color-facebook-48.png]( [color-youtube-48.png]( [color-linkedin-48.png]( [color-twitter-48.png]( [color-instagram-48.png]( © The Medical Futurist 2024 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Medical Futurist · Budapest · Budapest, Pest 1118 · Hungary