AI in Rural Health: Hype or Hope?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force in many industries - healthcare is no exception. One survey by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that nearly two thirds of physicians surveyed saw advantages to utilizing AI, with nearly 40 percent currently utilizing it in their own practices. While AI is still a developing technology, there is a large amount of enthusiasm for its potential – but is that hope grounded in reality or is the potential of AI little more than science fiction?
Understanding the Hype
AI may seem like a recent invention, but the history of AI dates back to the 1950s when researchers first began exploring the idea of machines simulating human intelligence. The field saw both progress and setbacks over the next decades, with significant breakthroughs in machine learning and neural networks emerging in the 1980s and 1990s. The 21st century ushered in rapid advancements with deep learning, natural language processing, and big data, leading to AI's current ubiquitous status as the next big thing throughout the tech world.
A quick Google search will show just how thoroughly AI has overtaken the public consciousness. Countless different AI products are being touted as the ideal solution to problems across industries. Articles written by AI tools like ChatGPT expand on the many benefits of AI for all sorts of problems, from the general to the specific. Even the search results themselves are likely to be sorted and summarized by an AI tool.
Like many others, the healthcare industry has found itself overwhelmed with AI products and technologies. According to one source, the global AI in healthcare market is expected to reach $45.2 billion by 2026. There are a myriad of ways AI is being applied in the healthcare space – some of most commonly cited examples include predictive analytics, diagnostic imaging, remote patient monitoring and virtual administrative assistance – but there doesn’t seem to be a limit on the potential challenges that can be solved with AI.
Rural Health Challenges and AI
The current rural health landscape faces a multitude of challenges. From provider shortages to closing hospitals, the common problems that exist in the healthcare world are often exacerbated in rural locations. According to a write up by Indiana University's Public Policy Institute, 30 percent of Hoosiers living in rural areas experience higher rates of chronic illness, disability and overall health issues than their urban counterparts. What’s more, rural Hoosiers often lack access to public transportation and other ways to reach care that doesn’t exist within their communities.
It’s not a surprise, then, that there are many who are excited by the potential of AI as a tool to manage these challenges. A guide created by the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC) summarized some of the ways that healthcare-specific AI tools can benefit rural health. According to the NCTRC guide, AI can:
- Mitigate provider shortages by enhancing capabilities of existing providers
- Assist providers to collect and document visit data
- Enhance diagnostic capabilities of rural health sites
- Allow patients to remain in their communities for treatment and care
This is by no means a comprehensive list either – AI is inarguably a tool with a myriad of different ways to improve rural health outcomes for Hoosiers. But despite the potential, the utilization of AI must be carefully considered. If not utilized responsibly and ethically, AI can be more of a hinderance than a help.
Reaching the Limits
Human health is incredibly complex, influenced by numerous variables that AI may not fully understand. It’s vital that these variables are understood and accounted for when considering the best ways to utilize AI in healthcare. Rare conditions may not have enough data available to train accurate AI models. Conditions that disproportionally impact historically disenfranchised communities may not have representative data available. AI should not operate in a vacuum – it can assist providers but is not able to replace the nuanced judgment of healthcare professionals.
Before becoming dazzled by the opportunities that AI can bring to rural health, it is important to ensure that the proposed uses of AI are, above everything else, practical. Part of managing expectations is understanding how AI works – it is technology, not magic, and like all technology it is not above errors. AI systems rely on large datasets to learn and make decisions. If these datasets are poor quality, the AI's recommendations may be flawed. Like human providers, AI is susceptible to bias.
When considering AI and its current and future use, one of the most vital considerations is ensuring realistic expectations. The overwhelming societal narrative around AI is that it has “limitless potential.” But potential, limitless or otherwise, does not equate with the current reality. It is important to be realistic about what AI can achieve and what level of expectation should exist around its use.
Finding a Balance
So, is AI the solution to all of our problems or a sci-fi pipe dream?
It turns out that the answer is complicated.
It’s undeniable that AI is transforming the way that we live our lives. Both work and play are being impacted every day by AI technology. According to a recent report by Gallup, 99 percent of U.S. adults reported using at least one AI-enabled product within the past week. Whether they realize it or not, the lives of Americans are being changed by AI.
There are limits, though, on what AI can achieve. AI is a tool. Like all tools, its potential is dependent on how it’s used. AI does have the benefit to improve rural healthcare and to
potentially mitigate some of the challenges faced by rural Hoosiers. But that can only come about if it’s utilized in a deliberate way by healthcare professionals.
We’re far from decided on the role AI will play in the future of rural healthcare. Will it bring hope to our rural communities, or will it not be able to live up to its own hype? That’s up to how we use it.