AI and Automation in Healthcare on Nurses, Lab Specialists, Pharmacists, and Doctors

Abstract

Automation and AI are transforming the nature of work. They have the potential to usher in a new age of leisure by taking on the burden of rote tasks, from the assembly of consumer goods to the construction of complex systems. However, between now and then, everyone must manage the impact of this transformation. The healthcare sectors around the world are increasingly deploying AI and other technologies in day-to-day operations. What will the transformation mean for health workers—nurses, lab specialists, pharmacists, and physicians—who constitute the backbone of these two vital global sectors?
Since the days when the first radiotelegraph and teleprinter operators unionized, there have been predictions that technical innovations would destroy jobs. Instead, after short transitory periods, employment has expanded. With the growing deployment of AI and robotic and other automation technologies, the predictions are again being made. Given their increasing scarcity, health workers might welcome a few extra minutes for rest and a cup of coffee. However, the projections are troubling. A recent study found that the deployment of a telemedical platform which helps triage, diagnose, and treat patients with flu-like or other systemic symptoms and uses AI to mine patient text consultations to determine if patients have COVID-19 symptoms saw the work carried out by certified general practitioners rise by nearly 40%. These AI technologies did not replace the physicians. Instead, they enabled them to provide better and cost-effective services to a larger patient base.