The diagnostic industry continues to stride ahead with AI technology

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a rapid implementation of new technologies in the diagnostic industry. With an increasing number of tests creating a burden on pathologists, digitization has helped enhance clinical lab workflow.   

A TV commercial for a famous brand of a ceiling fan shows the fan obeying the command of two young children when they instruct it to be put on/off. And let’s not forget our assistants Alexa and Siri who follow each order to the ‘T’! Have you recently watched a crime thriller on Netflix? Wait…you now have a whole list of recommendations based on your past selection!

By now, most people have experienced AI in some capacity or the other… be it a watch powered by AI, a food ordering app or an air conditioner!

Of all the industries it has cast its magical spell on so far, AI is transforming the healthcare industry like never before. According to a published report, the market for Al/ML will reach USD 52 bn in 2024 from USD 29 bn in 2019.

The implementation of AI in different fields of healthcare facilitates easy availability of large amount of valuable data, enabling decision-makers to gain unparalleled insights while making a diagnosis, deciding on treatment modalities and monitoring.

Of all the facets of healthcare, we are most allured by how AI is changing the face of laboratory medicine.

Revolutionizing the way in which pathology is viewed and defined-

The integration of AI with the conventional modes of diagnosis, opens up a plethora of opportunities like enhancing lab workflow efficiency, predictive maintenance, inventory management, remote access, etc.:

Enhancing lab workflow efficiency: AI based diagnostic devices offers a shorter TAT compared to the traditional microscopic testing methods, thereby allowing for more samples to be tested. Pathological investigations like microscopy for infectious diseases such as malaria, differential counts, etc. depend on image analysis. AI can aid in analyzing these images to help the pathologist give a faster and more accurate diagnosis. This can result into less repetition of tests and a direct cost savings. Alternately, AI applications also signal a re-test or other relevant tests in certain cases for greater accuracy.

Besides, these devices help in the triage and classification of samples into high and low priority, to ensure that urgent cases are reviewed first.  

Predictive maintenance: From an operational point-of-view, downtime remains one of the biggest concerns for laboratories. Planning for upgrading via cloud-based LIMS and AI software helps reduce the cost of maintaining the instrument. Major diagnostic manufacturers are offering automated instruments integrated with IoT and AI capabilities for predictive maintenance to limit downtime.

Inventory management: This is another area that is benefitting from AI and IoT. Remote monitoring is used to evaluate the usage and consumption of reagents for each test and their expiry to allow efficient management of lab inventory and utilization.

 

24x7 remote access: IoT is playing the role of an adjunct to smarter personalized customer service through remote access. With IoT and AI softwares, the service team can receive real-time reports and data, remotely, on the performance and repair history of the instrument.

Digital slides/remote view: Remote or digital pathology is one of the biggest advantages of AI in pathology as it helps alleviate the many barriers between patients and clinicians and clinicians and pathologists. The ability to share digital microscopic images enhances research and collaborative diagnosis, without the need to physically move the sample from one location to another.

Increases productivity of lab personnel: AI gives the lab experts space to focus on assessing rare and complex cases that require a high level of competency and skill. Pathologists can spend lesser time on manual slide reviews or other repetitive tasks. Faster reviews can reduce the burden of rising caseloads. 

Adoption of AI by manufacturers of medical devices

Traditionally, manufacturers of medical devices have focused on delivering value through manufacturing and innovation alone. But with the growing demand for personalized services and offering holistic solutions, manufacturers have woken up to the fact that integration of AI in the systems is the only way forward. AI is being leveraged by manufacturers to provide better customer service to labs and in-turn enhance clinical outcomes.

The biggest players in the medtech industry have been at the forefront at adopting AI/ ML into their products. On its part, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd., India’s leading IVD Company, has already integrated its fully automated clinical chemistry line of analyzers with IoT sensors and remote diagnosis technology, to provide an altogether different level of service to its customers and partner with them in improving lab efficiencies and benefitting the patients at large.

Integration of AI in its systems is helping Transasia provide analyzers that are efficient, powerful and user-friendly. As an example, integration of AI with digital bright-field microscopy in Laura XL, a fully automated urine chemistry and sediment analyzer, provides clear, high quality images mimicking visual microscopy. These systems are enabled to recognize thousands of known sediment elements.  This considerably reduces repetitions, while improving accuracy and reliability of sediment particle detection and differentiation. Additionally, when an atypical cell appears on the screen, the pathologist can check the accuracy of the automatic identification and further evaluate to confirm the sub-types.

AI – a tool to enhance human capabilities
One must keep in mind that AI is after all a technology and a powerful tool to enhance human capabilities and not replace it. The most beneficial use of AI is the combination of both a pathologist’s knowledge and AI’s accuracy and efficiency.