IEEE SA VOICE

Security and protection of personal data are core tenants in driving trust in the use of remote devices and technologies for monitoring or delivering virtual care. As healthcare intersects more with consumer wellness trends, the vulnerabilities and threats to security and privacy are even more amplified. 

The need to extend telehealth services to marginalized and indigenous populations with a focus on accessibility and feasibility is urgent. As a primary care doctor converted into a healthtech advocate, Dr. Keith Thompson, shares that the work of equally reaching all populations for quality access to care will take more than setting up and/or relying on physical location. 

Patients in developing regions are most often the most underserved populations whereby chronic conditions are left unchecked as a result of inaccessibility to health care, facilities, or tools. IEEE Student Member, Pramuka Sooriyapatbandige, shares how his research team is looking to mitigate the issue of accessibility with a simple, yet multi-purpose RPM tool that can be utilized, accessible, and feasible for patients in developing regions.

Breathing is essential; how we breathe is just as important. RPM tools offer an amplified opportunity for visibility for those with chronic conditions such as asthma. A majority of asthma sufferers are children, which means monitoring and getting real-time understanding of their condition is that much harder. 

JC Ren, Assistant President at CMI Health, shares how the latest RPM tools offer both real-time monitoring to parents and caregivers while making it convenient for children to utilize to help better monitor their condition.

How can we take physical therapy (PT) to the next level using real-world data from tools and devices without having to leave the home? 

Healthcare is coming home. Sumit Nagpal, CEO & Founder of Cherish Health, explains how using advanced AI and sensors can efficiently and effectively support the wellness needs of the rapidly growing elder generation at home with dignity and integrity.

With the focus on accuracy, ethics, and bias in AI algorithms, we cannot lose sight of the need for more validated data. With hard-hitting insights and references, is the right question being asked: is AI good for medicine or is medicine right for AI?

Dr. Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos, Senior Independent Consultant for organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), looks to the data for answers with our host, Maria Palombini.

The value of prediction can only be as good as the data it used to make its assumptions. With the growing use of AI, the focus has been more on the accuracy and validation of algorithms, however, we need to get back to the basics— the data. The better the data you put in, the better the insights that will come out. 

The time has come to unleash the value of unstructured data. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) afford those opportunities across the healthcare domain, however, AI and ML must be demystified and we need to embrace the value of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in daily operating systems. 

Alexandra Ehrlich, Principal Health Innovation Scientist at Oracle, and our host, Maria Palombini, discuss how AI and ML hold great opportunities for healthcare, but we can't lose sight of the challenge with bias permeating throughout accessible healthcare data.

Fairness is not a math problem. Healthcare disparities are a global challenge requiring more than just physical care. Identifying and leveraging social determinants, when mined correctly, are untapped keys to closing the healthcare gap.