E144 ‘Patient Empowerment within AI in Healthcare’ with Nuala Ryan

On April 16th, AI Ireland founder Mark Kelly hosted and moderated the “Improving Health Outcomes Through AI” at the National Healthcare Outcomes Conference at the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland).  In the coming weeks, we will share bite-sized podcasts of the conference talks to inspire others about the possibilities of AI in healthcare. 

Today’s guest is Nuala Ryan, Clinical Research Consultant and Patient Advocate. In her talk at the conference, Nuala shed light on the pressing issues surrounding patient concerns and the implications of AI in healthcare. 

At the heart of Nuala’s discourse lies the crucial role of patient education. She emphasises that understanding what AI truly entails is paramount, as not everyone grasps its intricacies and implications for health outcomes and healthcare management. She argues that patient education serves as a cornerstone for empowering individuals to make informed decisions regarding their health.

A significant development on the horizon is the upcoming citizen’s jury, which will delve into the public’s perceptions and expectations regarding AI in healthcare. Scheduled for June and July 2024, this initiative is poised to yield invaluable insights into how AI should be managed and integrated into the healthcare landscape, offering recommendations and learnings gleaned from public engagement.

Nuala also underscores the importance of governance surrounding data usage. While a national survey conducted by HIQA revealed overwhelming support for leveraging health data to inform healthcare planning and treatment decisions, concerns persist regarding the involvement of private entities. The apprehension revolves around potential exploitation of data for commercial gain, prompting a call for greater transparency and accountability in data utiliSation.

Drawing from personal experience as a parent of a child with a rare disease, Nuala highlights the transformative potential of AI in diagnostics. She advocates for centralised databases housing genomic data, facilitating rapid diagnosis and informed decision-making by healthcare providers. By harnessing AI algorithms to sift through vast troves of health data, clinicians can streamline diagnostic processes, ensuring timely interventions and personalised care.

Moreover, Nuala accentuates the role of AI in synthesising patient information and providing concise summaries for healthcare practitioners. In a time-constrained clinical setting, AI-driven summarization aids in distilling pertinent patient data, enabling physicians to make well-informed decisions efficiently. By leveraging AI technologies to enhance data accessibility and interpretation, healthcare professionals can optimise their workflow and deliver quality care.

In essence, Nuala’s insights underscore the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, provided that key considerations such as patient education, data governance and ethical utilisation are addressed comprehensively. By fostering dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders, the healthcare community can harness the power of AI to usher in a new era of precision medicine and patient-centered care.