The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) affects so many aspects of our lives that it is interesting to see it put to use during surgery.
This BBC News article, “World’s first patient to undergo live AI-assisted brain surgery has tumour removed”, shows that there is a positive use for AI in healthcare.
With experience, AI can be used to the benefit of patients and staff. However, there are also some risks. For example, AI can help radiologists (when reading X-rays, CT, MRI or other scans) find needles in haystacks, but it can also convince them that a haystack contains a needle when it does not or to miss one that is there – so errors using AI do occur.
Only time will tell if the use of AI leads to claims for clinical negligence.
Some benefits of AI in healthcare include:
- Enhances diagnostic accuracy by helping clinicians identify diseases such as cancer, stroke and diabetic eye disease earlier.
- Helping patients access appropriate care more quickly.
- Supports personalised medicine by tailoring treatments to an individual’s medical history, genetics and lifestyle factors.
- Identifies patients at risk of deterioration through predictive analytics and risk modelling.
- Increases the time clinicians can spend with patients by reducing paperwork and administrative burdens.
Some risks of AI in healthcare include:
- May produce diagnostic errors where algorithms misinterpret data or fail to identify important clinical findings.
- Can lead to automation bias, where clinicians place excessive trust in AI recommendations.
- Raises legal and ethical questions regarding responsibility when AI-assisted decisions cause harm.
- May generate inaccurate or misleading outputs that appear convincing but are factually incorrect.
In summary: AI has the potential to improve healthcare outcomes, efficiency and access to care, but these benefits must be balanced against risks, including the impact on claims for clinical negligence.
Not all problems are the result of clinical or medical negligence. However, some are and so if you feel that you or a loved one suffered an injury as a result of medical negligence then please contact us if you wish to discuss your potential claim for compensation.
Our expert Medical Negligence team consists of dedicated specialists with many years of experience in bringing successful claims for medical negligence for those who have suffered negligently caused injuries.
We provide an initial free, defined, no obligation, review of your circumstances to see whether there may be grounds for a claim.
Dr Darren Conway PhD is a Solicitor in our Medical Negligence department here at Ward & Rider, specialising in helping those who have suffered an avoidable injury in a medical setting.
If you want to find out more and see how Ward & Rider could help you, email us at us enquiry@wardrider.co.uk
Or call us on 08003165887
For more information regarding the NHS complaints process, please click HERE.
This article does not constitute legal advice and you should contact us directly if you are facing a similar situation.