2023-07-28 13:50:59
by Ruggiero Corcella
Smartphones that detect road accidents and automatically alert emergency services, medical training: two Italian studies published in Circulation and Jama Surgery take stock of the applications of AI in emergency management
Can artificial intelligence (AI) make the management of first aid interventions simpler, faster and more effective? This is the question that two scientific articles, published in Resuscitation e Jama Surgery. In both cases, the Italian researchers have tried to imagine a future they believe is imminent, in which artificial intelligence will be able to assist healthcare personnel in managing emergencies.
A “new world” of healthcare
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the healthcare landscape by transforming various aspects of patient care, medical research and operational efficiency. In healthcare, AI systems enable precise diagnosis, accurate prediction of the disease, its course and outcomes, personalization of patient treatments, automation of routine tasks, management of large volumes of patient data .
They also facilitate remote patient monitoring, thus propelling healthcare into an era of unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. This theme is more relevant today than ever in the healthcare sector, where the global landscape is still dealing with the consequences of a pandemic that will hopefully be over.
Road accident detection
Recently, one of the big US techs has introduced new smartphones on the market which, among other features, are able to detect a road accident and automatically alert the emergency services, transmitting the current position. The system is based on artificial intelligence algorithms that analyze the data collected by the sensors integrated into the devices, both smartphones and wearables.
This data includes the G-force caused by the impact, detected by the accelerometer, the sudden changes in the orientation of the vehicle, detected by the gyroscope, the speed and position, calculated by the GPS, the loud noises typical of a traffic accident, detected by the microphone, and the pressure variations in the passenger compartment caused by the airbags, detected by the barometer.
«Time is a crucial factor in the event of a serious trauma and this system can be of enormous help in compressing the delays caused by a delayed activation of the emergency services or in case of events that occur in isolated places. Furthermore, these data, if made accessible and integrated with clinical data, could allow us to obtain a more objective and precise estimate of the severity of the accident and the conditions of the patients involved. As a result, patient care and the management of necessary resources would improve, as well as enormous research opportunities would open up exploiting these Big Data”, explains Tommaso Scquizzato, doctor and researcher at the Anesthesia and Intensive Care Research Center of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and member of the Science and Education Committee Basic Lifes Support of the European Resuscitation Council.
The importance of training
The improvement of assistance also passes through training, one of the most emblematic cases being cardiac arrest. “Awareness raising and training is a strategic tool to increase citizens’ sensitivity and skills in the event of cardiac arrest” underlines Federico Semeraro, anesthesiologist and resuscitator at the Ospedale Maggiore in Bologna, Chair-elect of the European Resuscitation Council as well as co-author of both jobs.
«Exploring new technologies to adjust the tone of voice of training is essential for involving the new generations». There are various software for creating images starting from a textual description, called «prompt». These software are based on Generative Artificial Intelligence which is able to produce images by interpreting the user’s command, drawing from a database of public images and considering the user’s feedback.
Potential in the field of medical education
“We focused on one of the generative AI for images because it is software that we are learning to know,” explains Carlo Alberto Mazzoli, anesthesiologist and resuscitator at the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna. «The potential of this technology in the field of medical education is enormous, from the creation of popular material for the population or educational material for courses for professionals up to the creation of simulation scenarios on which to actively train learners».
However, there are limits imposed by the software developers themselves who, for example, have established bans on specific words to prevent the indiscriminate production of violent or offensive content. “And this is why we hope for the creation of accounts dedicated to certified professionals,” concludes Lorenzo Gamberini, anesthesiologist and resuscitator at the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna and co-author of both works. «To enable us to work together with these software and train them to produce increasingly reliable answers».
July 28, 2023 (change July 28, 2023 | 1:50 pm)
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