Applying technology in health.
Google.org has given a $1 million grant to The University of Sydney’s Westmead Applied Research Centre to develop their artificial intelligence (AI) digital health program for cardiovascular disease patients on August 19.
Using AI, the centre can now give patients more personalised advice and support through the mobile prevention program without the need for, sometimes frequent and inconvenient, face to face interactions.
For example, AI can deliver appropriate health advice via text messages or an application, nudging flagged at-risk people to be more active if it detects it has been lacking at a particular times in the day.
Furthermore, the centre plans to use machine learning and AI to help participants self-monitor measures like cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, physical activity, diet, and smoking.
In Australia, one in six people — around 4.2 million, one million hospitalisations, and one in three deaths in 2016 — are affected by cardiovascular disease, which involves complications with heart or blood vessels that causes one preventable death every 12 minutes.
The Professor of Medicine and Academic Director at the Westmead Applied Research Centre, Professor Clara Chow, sees AI as a promising tool in the health industry.
“Our goal is to support people at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease by encouraging them to adopt healthy habits, such as diet and exercise, and connecting them to health services when they need them,” Professor Chow says.
“Data and mobile technology means we can do this in ways that weren’t possible before.
“Initially, we’ll link data from existing secondary sources like hospital and clinic presentations to create programs tailored to individuals, and the system will learn from there.
“Over the long term, mobile and digital health solutions could reduce hospitalisations, bring down healthcare costs, and make healthcare more accessible,” Prof Chow stipulated.
The Connected by Henry Man 