Artificial Intelligence in Health Care. Opportunities and Threats of Using Technology During the Pandemic Volume 49- Issue 5

Mariola Bartusek*

• Doctor of Economic Sciences, Master of Nursing Practice, specialist in organization and management, Assistant Professor at the Medical University of Silesia, Department of Health Sciences in Katowice, Faculty of Nursing, Institute of Nursing and Social Medical Issues, Poland

Received: April 03, 2023;   Published: April 17, 2023

*Corresponding author: Mariola Bartusek, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Master of Nursing Practice, specialist in organization and management, Assistant Professor at the Medical University of Silesia, Department of Health Sciences in Katowice, Faculty of Nursing, Institute of Nursing and Social Medical Issues, Poland

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.49.007858

Abstract PDF

Intensive development of modern technology has already settled in health care for good. Although much effort is still needed for the system to regain organizational and financial efficiency after the pandemic, it is worth analyzing the degree of technology use at this time. Science points to many benefits of using technology, also with the use of artificial intelligence. The aim of the publication is to attempt to consider the value of both threatening as well as favorable factors in the use of modern technology in health care. It is worth tracking the emerging threats, but also creating space for factors beneficial to the system and patients. The publication is an analysis of information on the acquisition, application and use of modern technology by entities of medical activity during the pandemic.

Keywords: Modern Technology; Artificial Intelligence; Healthcare; Pandemic

The intensity of technology development has led to the presence of the most modern technological solutions in the global economy. Also in Poland, there are many users of innovative solutions, from private life to wide-ranging sectoral activities. Polish health care system has been undergoing changes for many years. Some of them are strongly identified with the development of modern technology in the world. Even before the pandemic, numerous solutions were proposed, the results of which would improve the quality of medical services as well as health condition and life of patients. Nevertheless, the pandemic had a direct impact on the use of innovative solutions that will remain in health care for good. However, this interest is not only the subject of discussion in the field of medicine, but also life as the highest value, which significantly changes the position of modern solutions and artificial intelligence in the hierarchy of human needs [1] [ p.67].

The results of the study conducted before the pandemic pointed to great interest among medics in the use of modern technology not only for the direct implementation of medical services. The solutions also concerned the priorities of documenting and improving the work of medics. The conducted analysis of the introduced innovative solutions also confirms the hypotheses assuming the benefits of using the solutions after the end of the pandemic as well. The aim of this publication is to attempt to consider the value of factors that threaten, but also favor the use of modern technology in health care. The initial analysis reveals that there is high probability that attention will be paid to the emerging threats, but also the benefits of taking actions during the pandemic that are beneficial for the future functioning of the health care system and the patients themselves. This also includes the use of modern technology by entities of medical activity during the pandemic.

Progressive economic growth together with the changing social, cultural and economic dimension of humanity has an impact on intensive recognition and reception of new human needs. However, health and human life are still perceived as the highest value, which leads to applying innovative solutions also in the health care sector. It has become a trend not only in Poland, but also in Europe and even worldwide [1] [p.72]. Innovative solutions are a part of both public health and health care, which constitutes its elementary link. As far as the subject of public health is concerned, it is worth noticing that it involves general protection, comprehensive in human terms, giving health care permission to deal with its organization, functioning and financing entities providing direct care in the form of medical services [1] [p.67]. The historical conditions behind the development and application of artificial intelligence have led to its very wide use in the world. Ethical and legal considerations always directed the use of artificial intelligence towards helping people. In medicine, therefore, prostheses of limbs, hearing implants or artificial retina have been designed. This has significantly improved the quality of human life, expanded its scope of functioning and allowed us to maintain it in the long term [2].

For many years, Poland has been interested in cooperation in the area of modern technology application in medicine. At the beginning, it concerned mainly the area of surgery but later also the area of administration. Thanks to the use of modern technology, e-prescription systems, electronic sick notes or teleconsultation services have already brought many benefits to both staff and patients. It is also a significant step in organizing effective work in health care entities. Similarly in the area of diagnostics, where thanks to innovative solutions there has been great development in the field of radiology [3] [p.1]. Unification of standards in the field of IT systems, replacement of computer hardware and staff training is another step towards modernity [3] [pp. 1-4]. Modern diagnostics in ophthalmology, diabetology and oncology leading to taking new paths in treatment is another step in the progress of medicine. The significance of implementing solutions based on artificial intelligence is emphasized. Since they constitute considerable social and economic challenge, they require special treatment.

Here, life is very clearly and quickly affected by a tool that affects the quality of human life [3] [pp. 2-3]. Medics in Poland are prepared to introduce changes, and the need for additional education enabling them to work in the new system is not an obstacle for them. They see great potential in technology, while acknowledging that changing the way in which they work or introducing new tools entails the need to be very well prepared. They are interested not only in the use of technology, but also in its creation. It is also important to secure the collected data, analyze it and draw conclusions, which may have a significant impact on the assessment of patients’ health needs and the selection of an effective therapeutic process [4] [pp. 3-4]. Pandemic has accelerated the process of implementing the changes already prepared. In the pandemic conditions the following were introduced: telemedicine, teleconsultation services, telesurgeries or telerehabilitation, monitoring remotely the condition of health or monitoring the application of medicines. Hardware based on AI has also been used in diabetes therapy, elderly people caregiving, especially among those under home care, or interfaces for voice recognition. Alternatively, there are hospital bedside interfaces for transferring information, communication or even entertainment [5].

The presented discourse is not aimed at either assessing the introduced systemic changes or verifying the undertaken actions. This is only a preliminary attempt to analyze the subjective opinions of nurses and midwives gathered at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 on the introduction of technological changes to the healthcare sector. For years, the nursing community has initiated a number of meetings and activities for improvement and introduction of changes in the healthcare sector. At the same time, it is an expression of concern for the role and importance of the undertaken actions that will contribute to the future of the health care system, its proper functioning and stabilization in the future. The study, as a result of which the first information on the needs, opportunities and threats of the use of modern technology in the health care sector was obtained, was conducted at the beginning of the pandemic in Poland (May-June 2020). This is the first part of the study, currently being continued, whose purpose was to hear the opinion of healthcare professionals on the use of innovative methods and tools during and right after the pandemic in the health care sector. Respondents were selected from employees of medical entities. Among the respondents were nurses and midwives, including students of master’s studies in nursing, all professionally active. The respondents were to answer questions of an authorial questionnaire. It was assumed that vast majority of respondents use modern technology both in their private and professional lives.

Moreover, the assumption was that they would see an opportunity to use artificial intelligence in their professional work in the field of health care, yet the existing threats and the probability of loss that might result from it are too high and may pose a threat to the patients’ lives. The research has revealed that respondents use modern technology more often in their private lives than in their professions, at the same time being interested in using modern technology at work. However, they can clearly see the threats related to the introduction of equipment/applications with the use of artificial intelligence in the health care sector in Poland, yet at the same time the number of perceived losses related to the introduction of artificial intelligence in the indicated sector increases [6]. New technologies are a very important factor in the functioning and future of all mankind. It is worth remembering, however, that a significant role in development may entail many significant threats [7]. It turns out that the growing interest in technology among members of society regarded as individuals means greater involvement of entrepreneurs not only in building a new assortment of the company, but also in choosing new marketing paths [8]. One of the most important areas protecting humanity from extinction is the protection of public health. However, what is typical for all health care systems around the world are limited resources and increasing health needs [9].

These needs grew disproportionately to expectations precisely during the last pandemic [10]. It turned out that the on-going and planned tasks resulting from current social needs were superimposed with new, existing, but not so intensively identified health needs, in the physical, social and spiritual spheres. This had a direct impact on the search for the best solutions under the pressure to save humanity, not only the health of individuals. This time turned out to be difficult for the whole world, yet the funds allocated by individual countries for new tasks resulted in saving the lives of individuals. In Poland, as well as in other countries, the pandemic was a kind of final exam that the system had to pass without any special preparation. This would require rapid changes in terms of increasing the availability of services for the population, the introduction of electronic solutions in basic health care, e.g., teleconsultations, e-sick leaves, e-referrals, changes in terms of perinatal care as well as spiritual support for the patients, especially in the last moments of life. Due to the sudden increase in the demand for basic and specialist services, patients in these two areas expected the responses and solutions as fast as possible [11]. The particular changes, which were being prepared on an ongoing basis, required many comprehensive actions compatible with the new legal regulations, the introduction of innovative technological solutions into practice and verification of the operating strategy. However, that was a global problem, not only a matter of one specific country. Therefore, many guidelines had to be compatible with international recommendations. This gave a realistic chance for the dominant virus to be dethroned.

The development of modern technology, including the use of artificial intelligence, despite taking place gradually for many years, has significantly accelerated during the pandemic. At that time, it turned out that isolation, which was an elementary condition for protection against the spread of the virus, required support in communication. The so far applied tools turned out to be insufficient on a scale to which people were accustomed. Therefore, it was necessary to use innovative methods that, although not used on such a large scale before, gave a chance for humanity to survive during the pandemic. In addition, the tools used both in social communication and in the administrative system supported people in taking up challenges necessary for functioning. They also entered the healthcare sector with ease, yet with the need to strengthen the protection of the data obtained. The proposed solutions shortened the waiting time for the patient’s appointment, compressed the doctor’s contact with the patient, allowing for faster decision-making, diagnosis and the suggested treatment, that would in effect positively affect the patient’s health condition. Taking into regard the proposed and applied global recommendations, without these changes, patients’ chances of survival could be significantly reduced. The solutions constituted a virtually perfect remedy for the strained healthcare systems in every country. However, contemporary sectoral solutions based on helping people and increasing the comfort and quality of life require a very good legal and ethical base. Contemporary medicine based on providing widely understood help for people uses all possible resources. The development of technology has been helpful in this area for years and has a significant impact on the performance of medical procedures. However, this requires personnel with high general and specialist qualifications, equipment and financial resources. All these factors together allow for high-quality medical services for people.

Expectations towards the use of modern technology in medicine, including the use of artificial intelligence, are very high. However, the lack of full awareness of its effects and effectiveness raises doubts among scientists, especially in the context of human good understood in the traditional sense [2]. Only a few years ago, combining the use of robots with traditional methods in the therapeutic process was a vision planned for distant future. Today, they perform some of the tasks of medics, without any organizational conflict. As a driving force, they can shorten the waiting time for a visit or surgery, which leads to an improvement in the patient’s health. It is estimated that works in this field will be intensive in the coming years [3]. The research conducted during the pandemic was aimed at, among other things, determining the patient’s protection status against the threat of the new coronavirus. It has been confirmed that since the beginning of the pandemic, the matter of great difficulties and problems in the health sector has significantly intensified. At the same time, it is pointed out that this situation, despite its tragical dimension is underdetermined in the context of the threat to human life, global discourse has begun on the need to introduce changes around the world. Like other countries, Poland recognized health of the population as a priority and a necessary condition and a guarantee of socio-economic stability. In order to achieve it, directions of changes were established, and systemic proposals were adopted for recommendation. A wide group of experts developed solutions both for the protection of individual health and the social functioning of groups, institutions and enterprises. This partnership gave a new direction to the planning of work and organization of the health care system in the country [12]. From the patient’s point of view, the increase in health needs should entail an increase in the access to medical services, broader range of health care services, access to modern preventive methods and tools, diagnosis and treatment with increased investment in the health care system.

Threat to human life significantly modifies our perception of the process of satisfying health needs. It should be adequate to individual needs, fast and effective. Globally, from an organizational point of view, however, the matter was not so clear-cut, if only because of the high health risk and limited financial resources of each country. Therefore, the prepared action strategies were created for current needs and were to minimize the negative effects as much as possible. They assumed the use of all existing resources together with the means and resources available in the conditions at that time in particular countries of the world. The evident disproportion in the availability of services, the degree of participation in the therapeutic process of modern technology or the number of medical personnel quickly affected the degree of response to the side effects of the pandemic. At the same time, a very large number of deaths among people both under professional care and not aroused a lot of emotions. The analyzes carried out during the pandemic were not helpful, as the conclusions forced the population to prepare for the worst scenarios including the death of loved ones, prolonged loneliness of hospitalized people or passing away alone.

Numerous initiatives, including the ones taken by nongovernmental organizations, provided significant support to patients and their families during this difficult period. The deteriorating health of the population, the change of disease entities constituting the largest percentage of the causes of morbidity, or the overall morbidity statistics are clearly signalized [13]. The applied technology, used before the pandemic in the therapeutic process, has significantly accelerated in its development and use in practice in many medical specialties [14]. Numerous analyses have stressed the special importance and role of technological solutions applied during the pandemic, for which we were already prepared. There were the already existing rules of law as well as the administrative and technological infrastructure. Although no comprehensive attempts to introduce innovations had been made before, the ones implemented so far worked and were often used regionally. They served among others collecting information for further work and analyzing the costs of care. The changes made during the pandemic with the use of modern technology met with both support and resistance to introducing such changes. From the institutional point of view, the process of introducing changes has not yet been fully implemented, so it could cause anxiety, especially among medical staff.

Summary Reality has shown that, apart from central assumptions from the supervision and organization sector of the polish health care sector, medical entities in cooperation with the technological market, aim at obtaining innovative solutions as rapidly as possible. Vast majority supports especially these solutions which will result in increasing the quality of medical services as well as affect the quality of patient’s life through shortening the process of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, better therapeutic effect and risk treatment of the negative health effects. Additionally, the devised administrative solutions are to shorten and streamline the work time of the personnel, which in effect should result in better comfort of the patient during hospitalization. The conducted analysis of the subject and the presented research results indicate the real possibilities of using modern technology in practice. However, they are only a prelude to a broad topic based also on the existing international and national legal and ethical frameworks. These are not only an expression of the global care for the safety of treated people, but also of medics directly interested in the provision of services for the patient.

The doubts related to limited financial resources are a condition to be met after conducting many financial analyses. Moreover, a problem of a very delicate ethical nature needs to be solved. After the introduction of detailed legal regulations and financial analyses, there will be a great need to focus on the preparation of a comprehensive set of ethical principles. Although the ethical scope goes beyond legal standards, detailed regulations limiting the occurrence of abuses seem to be a guarantee of the security of people nowadays. There is no need to negate innovative solutions, since they are a condition for functioning in the future also in such a delicate matter as health or disease. The problem, however, goes much broader, because it touches existence in the sense of human life. The more effort we make to prepare the base for human safety, the more calmly we will be able to take on new innovative challenges.

Pandemic has not only revealed the shortcomings of the world economy, but also deprived humanity of dreams of stability, which people allegedly could have an impact on. Full health security cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, every effort should be made to minimize the risks resulting additionally from the applied technology. It is unimaginable to introduce solutions that will threaten the health and life of humanity. Identification of threatening factors should be constantly analyzed to introduce the safest solutions. The conducted research constitutes a small part of the medical potential of professionals, specialists and experts for whom human life is the greatest value. However, it is worth hearing their voice, not being dependent on ideological and other affiliations, and lean towards saving human life. Because this life, often generally understood in literature, is also the life of each of us, the only one we have.

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