Computer Vision: Revolutionary Applications in the Healthcare Industry

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions has already proved to be bliss for various industries. Computer Vision (CV) is another such AI-based technological solution.

Computer vision has evolved significantly from its cocooned experimental stage and earlier capacities of the 1970s, where it could only differentiate between handwritten and typed text; to delivering complex jobs faster and accurately. Taking advantage of sophisticated image processing algorithms of AI, computer vision solutions can assist the healthcare industry in rendering life-saving treatments for the patients.

Although at this stage, the medical usage of computer vision confines to the field of radiology, imaging, and various analytical tasks like prediction, monitoring, it implies tremendous benefits that can boost the industry in its core service.

Apart from the impediments like lack of technical knowledge, awareness, and government initiatives, reluctance among the medical practitioners that restrains growth, the computer vision in the healthcare industry is a burgeoning sector. The market prediction shows that it may reach 1,457 million USD by 2023, with a growth value of 47.2%. If you are wondering how exactly computer vision integrates within the healthcare industry, look at these applications below:

Medical Imaging

Daily, the healthcare industry has to handle an enormous amount of medical data, and a larger share of this data is image-based. Since computer vision uses image processing algorithms, there is an excellent scope of utilizing it in analyzing and interpreting image-based medical data with swiftness and accuracy.

Furthermore, computer vision solutions can aid the doctors in understanding the patient’s medical condition by converting data from scanned images into interactive 3D models. Thus, computer vision can assist physicians from varied fields to diagnose patients more efficiently and simultaneously save time.

Measurement and Monitoring

An AI-powered computer vision tool like Gauss Surgical’s Triton can carry out real-time measurement of blood loss during child delivery (postpartum haemorrhage), one of the most prominent causes of mortality in childbirth. Triton, the blood monitoring solution, functions through an iPad-based app by analyzing captured images of blood on clothes, sponges, and suction canisters used during the surgery.

Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando provides an instance of a successful implementation of this tool. Utilizing a computer vision-powered device in a hospital operating room, in this case, results in a more accurate estimation of the amount of blood lost by patients. Thus, doctors can take necessary actions for better treatment.

Identification of Diseases

Another important application of computer vision lies in the detection of illnesses. Starting from primary skin cancer screening to acute neurological diseases that are difficult to identify can be detected with the algorithmic understanding and interpretative capacity of computer vision. At Mount Sinai hospital, doctors have carried out such a project with the help of NVIDIA, a corporation that also has had a 92% success rate in detecting cancer using AI-assisted pathology.

Precision in Diagnoses

Diagnostic processes can often result in false positives, which, in extension, increases various medical expenses, procedures, and even can cost human lives. A computer vision-powered tool, trained by a large amount of data, can detect any component or condition that may lead to false positives. A human doctor can fail to notice such elements due to sensory limitations. Hence, the application of computer vision can potentially reduce the number of false positives and increase the degree of accuracy.

Timely Detection of Illnesses

Diseases that show no visible symptoms to the human eyes can lead to a life-threatening condition when detected late. Therefore, what the health industry needs are computer vision solutions that can diagnose illnesses early when the treatment can be most effective. Computer vision, with powerful pattern recognition tools, can process scanned images faster and detect the disease in time. This artificial intelligence capacity enables the doctors to take prompt medical action for patients with diseases like cancer.

Field of Radiology

Physicians can benefit from the Computer vision technology in the use of radionuclide imaging in diagnosis. Functional imaging tools like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) can provide a diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders along with the help of algorithms when there is a need for greater accuracy.

Efficient Medical Service

The usage of an Artificial Intelligence Development service can bring greater efficiency in terms of the service infrastructure and reduce the tremendous pressure on the healthcare industry. Swiftness and accuracy in analyzing medical reports and images can eliminate the fatal waiting periods for appointments and test results. Physicians, therefore, can invest more time interacting with the patient.

Moreover, usage of AI-based facial authentication tools for patient intake, integration tools for keeping medical records can serve any medical facility to prevent misidentification of patients and increase productivity.

Tool for Medical Education

Computer vision imaging also offers a profound and engaging tool for medical education. An AI-powered computer vision can create simulations of multiple surgeries. These 3D simulations and models of human bodies make a great interactive educational gadget for the surgeons to train before operating in real life. At the same time, it prevents the inadvertent retention of surgical equipment. Experienced physicians can also enhance their skills with AI-powered digital models.

Conclusion

When computer vision is allied with medical practitioners’ input, the healthcare system delivers superior service. As time progresses, artificial intelligence will also improve its capacities by learning and recognizing more complex patterns of images and data. These computer vision applications, as discussed above, signal that a revolutionary change in the healthcare system is inevitable.

Growing deep-learning artificial intelligence research platforms like IBM’s Watson, Alphabet’s Google Brain, Microsoft’s InnerEye, Intel, Graphics Processing Units like NVIDIA are paving the way for more seamless integration between humans and the technology, all working in tandem. As computer vision matures beyond the current applications and finds new prospective applications, it solidifies its ground in the healthcare ecosystem’s reality.

An Artificial Intelligence Development company that specializes in computer vision can help the healthcare industry to strengthen its framework and make it more efficient so that human life can flourish with heath and happiness.

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