Amazon In Healthcare: Disruption, Data Nightmares And Digital Health Dreams – The Medical Futurist Newsletter

Great promises and significant privacy worries If you've been following my tech escapades, you might remember me testing an otoscope - which I still think is a great concept for remote care. However, the last device I had required a jack plug to connect to a smartphone. That's why I was excited to [lay my hands on an otoscope]( that connects with Bluetooth to my phone. Will come with a detailed review. Last week we asked our followers if they think their healthcare system has become more efficient since COVID started. Surprising or not, [a significant majority of our community]( believes their healthcare system has not seen improvements in efficiency in this period. I hope you will find the newsletter useful! Best regards, Berci Bertalan Meskó, PhD The Medical Futurist [AMAZON IN HEALTHCARE: DISRUPTION, DATA NIGHTMARES AND DIGITAL HEALTH DREAMS]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Amazon’s healthcare journey, characterized by its acquisition of One Medical and the termination of Amazon Care, underscores its evolving strategy to reshape the healthcare landscape and target a broader consumer base. Amazon’s technological pursuits, such as its foray into generative AI for clinical documentation and Alexa’s integration into senior care, highlight its ambition to leverage technology in healthcare experiences while maintaining a consumer-centric approach. [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? Tech giants will undoubtebly leave their marks on the healthcare segment, focusing strongly on this lucrative sector, and we can learn a lot from their approach and efficiency. But keeping them "honest" is a vital regulatory question. [AMAZON STARTS DELIVERING MEDICATIONS VIA DRONE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Yet another Amazon-related news: Amazon Pharmacy started offering a drone delivery service for more than 500 medications that treat common conditions, such as flu, asthma and pneumonia in Texas. The service is free and allows patients to receive their medications within an hour. [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? Delivering medications with a drone can be a competetive advantage compared to other pharmacies. [INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AI is rapidly transforming the way medical services are delivered, and algorithms start to appear in everyday clinical work. Working with AI is becoming an essential skill, similar to working with a computer or using the Internet. We designed this course to be beneficial for everyone, regardless of their background or experience, no previous technical or coding knowledge is required. Learn about AI and apply it to your practice. [ENROLL HERE]( [DIGITAL HEALTH ANXIETY: WHEN WELLNESS TECH BECOMES A STRESSOR]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Although our initial content idea came from subjective experiences, research backs the gut feelings of our team members. More data and more digitalisation mean more stress. More digital health – our wearables, phones, apps – can cause more anxiety. The good news is that it is possible to get accustomed to it, especially if your family practitioner can help you make sense of all the information you receive, from health metrics to genetic test results. [READ MORE]( WHY IT'S IMPORTANT? Digital health anxiety is becoming a thing, and doctors are not yet always prepared to guide patients to use these devices smartly and in an informed manner. [REVOLUTIONARY BIONIC HAND FUSES WITH WOMAN'S BONES, MUSCLES, AND NERVES]( --------------------------------------------------------------- A 50-year-old Swedish woman who lost her hand in a farming accident received this new prosthesis and the results are in about her first experience: Karin, the woman who received the bionic hand, now has a limited sense of touch and can move all five of her bionic fingers individually with a success rate of 95 percent. [READ MORE]( WHY IT'S IMPORTANT? You might get bored after the 20th news article about revolutionary prosthetics, but I find every step in the way towards a fully functioning prosthetic device interesting. [HOW CHATGPT AND OTHER AI TOOLS COULD DISRUPT SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING]( --------------------------------------------------------------- I totally understand how the editors of medical journals are fighting with (or sometimes against) authors using large language models like ChatGPT, but I couldn't write a list long enough to share how ChatGPT has been making my life as a researcher easier. (Also, I'd ask ChatGPT with a great prompt to write it for me anyway.) "Science publishers are already experimenting with generative AI in scientific search tools and for editing and quickly summarizing papers. Many researchers think that non-native English speakers could benefit most from these tools. Some see generative AI as a way for scientists to rethink how they interrogate and summarize experimental results altogether — they could use LLMs to do much of this work, meaning less time writing papers and more time doing experiments." [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? Using generative AI in scientific publishing is not only an unprecedented opportunity, but an inevitable step in progress. We just have to mitigate the risks that come with it. [AUTONOMOUS AI INCREASES REAL-WORLD SPECIALIST CLINIC PRODUCTIVITY IN A CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED TRIAL]( --------------------------------------------------------------- I wanted to draw your attention to a recent study about how AI can increase healthcare productivity in a real-life setting. "In summary, the use of an autonomous AI system improved clinic productivity by 40% in the B-PRODUCTIVE trial. Autonomous AI systems can play an important role in addressing global health disparities by improving access to affordable, high-quality care, especially in low- and middle-income countries." [READ MORE]( WHY DO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT? Hundreds of similar studies and clinical trials are needed to bring the use of AI to the eviedence-based level. MORE NEWS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE --------------------------------------------------------------- TYPICAL CONCERNS – [WHO outlines considerations for regulation of artificial intelligence for health]( REGULATORY ISSUES – [FDA prioritizes guidance on AI, cybersecurity, pulse oximeters in stacked schedule for 2024]( NANOPORE SEQUENCING – [Ultra-fast deep-learned CNS tumour classification during surgery]( SENSIBLE THOUGHTS – [Health minister Nsanzimana on AI, exit of Babyl, cutting foreign trips for treatment]( [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 2023 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