These challenges are compounded bylimited resourcesand overstretched staff that results in protracted patient wait times and generic treatment strategies.
Such a healthcare approach, characterised by these limitations and engagements, could aptly be termed shallow medicine.
He critiques the USs shallow medicine model, offering insights from his clinical and personal experiences.
Deep medicine holds the potential to revolutionise medical diagnostics, the effectiveness of treatments, and operational considerations.
Topol presentsartificial intelligence(AI) as the transformative solution to these systemic shallow issues.
A deep phenotype goes far beyond the limited data collected during a standard medical appointment or health episode.
However, the sheer volume and complexity of the collected data pose significant challenges for analysing it all.
AI could potentially improve how diagnostic tools are used.
They can generate reports and predict disease progression and outcomes for the patient.
They can control instruments used in robotic surgery.
They can automate writing tasks, such as note taking and data entry.
Deep empathy
Integrating AI systems could help streamline operational tasks in health services like the NHS.
These include bed management and hospital workflows.
This is the pillar of deep medicine known as deep empathy.
Healthcare staff face anincreased burdenof administrative tasks.
Staff need the sensitivity and time to respond to the emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families.
This nurtures a supportive and compassionate care environment, and strengthens the human connection at the heart of healthcare.
There is also a transformative opportunity to rethink efficiency, putting relationships between patients and staff at the core.
