Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Healthcare: applications, availability and societal impact

This report reviews and classifies the current and near-future applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine and Healthcare according to their ethical and societal impact and the availability level of the various technological implementations. It provides conceptual foundations for well-informed policy-oriented work, research, and forward-looking activities that address the opportunities and challenges created in the field of AI in Medicine and Healthcare. This report is aimed for policy developers, but it also makes contributions that are of interest for researchers studying the impact and the future of AI on Healthcare, for scientific and technological stakeholders in this field and for the general public. This report is based on an analysis of the state of the art of research and technology, including software, personal monitoring devices, genetic tests and editing tools, personalized digital models, online platforms, augmented reality devices, and surgical and companion robotics. From this analysis, it is presented the concept of “extended personalized medicine”, and it is explored the public perception of medical AI systems, and how they show, simultaneously, extraordinary opportunities and drawbacks. In addition, this report addresses the transformation of the roles of doctors and patients in an age of ubiquitous information and identifies three main paradigms in AI-supported Medicine: “fake-based”, “patient-generated”, and “scientifically tailored” views. This Report presents: - An updated overview of the many aspects related to the social impact of Artificial Intelligence and its applications in Medicine and Health. A new ‘Technology Availability Scale’ is defined to evaluate and compare their current status. - Recent examples of the growing social concerns and debates in the general press, social media and other web-bases sources. - A ‘Visual Overview of AI and AI-mediated technologies in Medicine and Healthcare’, in which two figures show, respectively, a (newly proposed) classification according to their ethical and social impact, and the most relevant ethical and social aspects considered for such classification. Some key questions, controversies, significant, and conflicting issues are outlined for each aspect. - A ‘Structured Overview’, with a sorted list of technologies and their implementations, including perspectives, conflicting views and potential pitfalls, and a corresponding, extensive list of references. - A conclusive set of policy challenges, namely the need of informed citizens, key aspects (of AI and AI-mediated technologies in Medicine and Healthcare) to evaluate, and some recommendations towards a European leadership in this sector. - We finally relate our study with an update on the use of AI technologies to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 pandemic disease.JRC.A.5-Scientific Developmen

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Healthcare: applications, availability and societal impact

Comisión Europea. Joint Research Centre. Serie: JRC Science for Police ReportThis report reviews and classifies the current and near-future applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine and Healthcare according to their ethical and societal impact and the availability level of the various technological implementations. It provides conceptual foundations for well-informed policy-oriented work, research, and forward-looking activities that address the opportunities and challenges created in the field of AI in Medicine and Healthcare. This report is aimed for policy developers, but it also makes contributions that are of interest for researchers studying the impact and the future of AI on Healthcare, for scientific and technological stakeholders in this field and for the general public.This report is based on an analysis of the state of the art of research and technology, including software, personal monitoring devices, genetic tests and editing tools, personalized digital models, online platforms, augmented reality devices, and surgical and companion robotics. From this analysis, it is presented the concept of “extended personalized medicine”, and it is explored the public perception of medical AI systems, and how they show, simultaneously, extraordinary opportunities and drawbacks. In addition, this report addresses the transformation of the roles of doctors and patients in an age of ubiquitous information and identifies three main paradigms in AI-supported Medicine: “fake-based”, “patient-generated”, and “scientifically tailored” views.This Report presents:- An updated overview of the many aspects related to the social impact of Artificial Intelligence and its applications in Medicine and Health. A new ‘Technology Availability Scale’ is defined to evaluate and compare their current status.- Recent examples of the growing social concerns and debates in the general press, social media and other web-bases sources.- A ‘Visual Overview of AI and AI-mediated technologies in Medicine and Healthcare’, in which two figures show, respeComisión Europea. Joint Research Centr

Barriers to Accrual and Enrollment in Brain Tumor Trials

Many factors contribute to the poor survival of malignant brain tumor patients, some of which are not easily remedied. However, one contributor to the lack of progress that may be modifiable is poor clinical trial accrual. Surveys of brain tumor patients and neuro-oncology providers suggest that clinicians do a poor job of discussing clinical trials with patients and referring patients for clinical trials. Yet, data from the Cancer Action Network of the American Cancer Society suggest that most eligible oncology patients asked to enroll on a clinical trial will agree to do so. To this end, the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) in collaboration with the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Working Group, patient advocacy groups, clinical trial cooperative groups including the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium (ABTC), and other partners are working together with the intent to double clinical trial accrual over the next five years. Here we describe the factors contributing to poor clinical trial accrual in neuro-oncology and offer possible solutions

Strengthening Capacity for Prostate Cancer Early Diagnosis in West Africa Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Realist Approach to Rethinking and Operationalizing the World Health Organization 2017 Guide to Cancer Early Diagnosis

Two years after SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) was declared a global public health emergency, the restoration, at least, to the pre-pandemic level of early diagnostic services for prostate cancer has remained enormously challenging for many health systems, worldwide. This is particularly true of West Africa as the region grapples also with the broader impacts of changing demographics and overly stretched healthcare systems. With the lingering COVID-19 crisis, it is likely that the current trend of late prostate cancer diagnosis in the region will worsen with a concomitant increase in the burden of the disease. There is, therefore, a compelling need for innovative and evidence-based solutions to de-escalate the current situation and forestall the collapse of existing structures supporting early prostate cancer diagnosis in the region. In this viewpoint, we make a case for the operationalization of the World Health Organization (WHO) guide to early cancer diagnosis to strengthen the capacity for early prostate cancer diagnosis in West Africa using a realist approach, drawing on participatory health research and evidence-based co-creation. Ultimately, we demonstrate the potential for developing COVID-19 responsive and context-specific models to optimize patient navigation/journey along the essential steps of the World Health Organization guide to early cancer diagnosis

How health care professionals use social media to create virtual communities: An integrative review

Background: Prevailing health care structures and cultures restrict intraprofessional communication, inhibiting knowledge dissemination and impacting the translation of research into practice. Virtual communities may facilitate professional networking and knowledge sharing in and between health care disciplines. Objectives: This study aimed to review the literature on the use of social media by health care professionals in developing virtual communities that facilitate professional networking, knowledge sharing, and evidence-informed practice. Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted to identify research published between 1990 and 2015. Search strategies sourced electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL), snowball references, and tables of contents of 3 journals. Papers that evaluated social media use by health care professionals (unless within an education framework) using any research design (except for research protocols or narrative reviews) were included. Standardized data extraction and quality assessment tools were used. Results: Overall, 72 studies were included: 44 qualitative (including 2 ethnographies, 26 qualitative descriptive, and 1 Q-sort) and 20 mixed-methods studies, and 8 literature reviews. The most common methods of data collection were Web-based observation (n=39), surveys (n=23), interviews (n=11), focus groups (n=2), and diaries (n=1). Study quality was mixed. Social media studied included Listservs (n=22), Twitter (n=18), general social media (n=17), discussion forums (n=7), Web 2.0 (n=3), virtual community of practice (n=3), wiki (n=1), and Facebook (n=1). A range of health care professionals were sampled in the studies, including physicians (n=24), nurses (n=15), allied health professionals (n=14), followed by health care professionals in general (n=8), a multidisciplinary clinical specialty area (n=9), and midwives (n=2). Of 36 virtual communities, 31 were monodiscipline for a discrete clinical specialty. Population uptake by the target group ranged from 1.6% to 29% (n=4). Evaluation using related theories of "planned behavior" and the "technology acceptance model" (n=3) suggests that social media use is mediated by an individual's positive attitude toward and accessibility of the media, which is reinforced by credible peers. The most common reason to establish a virtual community was to create a forum where relevant specialty knowledge could be shared and professional issues discussed (n=17). Most members demonstrated low posting behaviors but more frequent reading or accessing behaviors. The most common Web-based activity was request for and supply of specialty-specific clinical information. This knowledge sharing is facilitated by a Web-based culture of collectivism, reciprocity, and a respectful noncompetitive environment. Findings suggest that health care professionals view virtual communities as valuable knowledge portals for sourcing clinically relevant and quality information that enables them to make more informed practice decisions. Conclusions: There is emerging evidence that health care professionals use social media to develop virtual communities to share domain knowledge. These virtual communities, however, currently reflect tribal behaviors of clinicians that may continue to limit knowledge sharing. Further research is required to evaluate the effects of social media on knowledge distribution in clinical practice and importantly whether patient outcomes are significantly improved

INVITED TALKS

On behalf of the Polish scientific community we have the privilege and pleasure to welcome youto Warsaw for the PETRAD2012 Conference. The Conference follows the opening of the Universityof Warsaw Radiopharmaceuticals Production and Research Centre. The main goal of this centreis the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals for Positron Emission Tomography(PET) laboratories in Poland as well as research into new, innovative radiopharmaceuticals

Direct Digital Engagement of Patients and Democratizing Health Care

Direct Digital Engagement of Patients and Democratizing Health Car

Direct Digital Engagement of Patients and Democratizing Health Care

Direct Digital Engagement of Patients and Democratizing Health Car