AMA VICDOC Spring 2023 - Magazine - Page 66
AI CAN IMPROVE HEALTHCARE FOR
AUSTRALIANS, BUT WITH ROBUST
RULES IN PLACE
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Medical care delivered by human beings
should never be replaced with AI, but
AI technology can potentially achieve
improved healthcare, the AMA said today.
The AMA’s first Position Statement on
the use of AI in healthcare outlines a set of
ethical and regulatory principles based on
safety and equity which should be applied
to the application of AI technologies
in healthcare.
The position statement covers the
development and implementation of AI in
healthcare and supports regulation which
protects patients, consumers, healthcare
professionals and their data.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson
said with appropriate policies and protocols
in place, AI can assist in the delivery
of improved healthcare, advancing our
healthcare system, and the health of
all Australians.
“The AMA sees great potential for
AI to assist in diagnosis, for example,
or recommending treatments and
at transitions of care, but a medical
practitioner must always be ultimately
responsible for decisions and
communication with their patients.
“There’s no doubt we are on the cusp
of big changes AI can bring to the sector
and this will require robust governance
and regulation which is appropriate to the
healthcare setting and engenders trust
in the system.
“We’d like to see a national governance
structure established to advise on policy
development around AI in healthcare.
“Such a structure must include all
health-sector stakeholders like medical
practitioners, patients, AI developers, health
informaticians, healthcare administrators
and medical defence organisations.
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“This will underpin how we carefully
introduce AI technology into healthcare.
AI tools used in healthcare must be
co-designed, developed and tested with
patients and medical practitioners and
this should be embedded as a standard
approach to AI in healthcare.
“Decisions about healthcare are the
bedrock of the doctor-patient relationship
and these will never be replaced by
AI. People worry when they hear that
machine learning is perfecting decisionmaking, but this is not the role AI should
play in healthcare. Diagnoses, treatments
and plans will still be made by medical
practitioners with the patient — AI will
assist and supplement this work.
“We need to get ahead of any unforeseen
consequences for patient safety, quality
of care and privacy across the profession.
This will require future changes to how
we teach, train, supervise, research and
manage our workforce.
“One of the key concerns for any
healthcare organisation using AI must be
the privacy of patients and practitioners
and their data. The AMA’s position is
very clear about protecting the privacy
and confidentiality of patient health
information. This is where regulation
and oversight is really important; the
healthcare sector must establish robust
and effective frameworks to manage risks,
ensure patient safety and guarantee the
privacy of all involved.
“The AMA’s position statement shows
doctors are engaging with this rapidly
evolving field and laying down some guiding
principles. If we can get the settings right,
so that AI serves the healthcare needs of
patients and the wider community, we think
it can enable healthcare that is safe,
high quality and patient centred.”
