Are doctors no longer the answer for treating patients that have cancer? A supercomputer from IBM named Watson is now being used in the treatment of cancer patients. Is this really a good idea and how else is the computer involved in healthcare? You may be surprised to learn that doctors may soon turn to a computer for the answers. The following explains how IBM’s supercomputer aims to revolutionize healthcare.
How Will the Supercomputer Help Cancer Patients?
The supercomputer will be used to suggest how a patient’s cancer should be treated based on the computer’s level of confidence that the treatment will work. The supercomputer has the ability to learn, having analyzed millions of pages of medical text and over 1,500 lung cancer cases. But, is that enough for doctors to put their patients’ lives on the line? Granted computers have the ability to compare data to the case at hand in seconds, while a doctor may have to research the case for weeks. If the supercomputer can truly give the best answers on how to proceed with treatment, it really could revolutionize healthcare.
What Role Does Watson Play in Insurance Claims?
Another role that Watson will being playing in the healthcare field is in insurance claims. A supercomputer will be used to sift through insurance claims and decide which ones should be paid. This will cut down and millions of man hours, which can be good for insurance companies, but bad for insurance company employees. Again, one has to wonder if the computer will be accurate enough to complete the job or if patients will be turned down for claims that should have gone through.
Would You Trust Your Life to a Computer?
You may be reading this article and wondering if your doctor will be using these services. While it will more than likely take years for the technology to take off, your doctor may at some point have access to this technology. Would you trust it? This is something that people more than likely don’t want to think about. But, can you say that you trust your doctor without a shadow of a doubt? If you had cancer, would you get a second opinion on treatment? What if the only opinion came from a computer, no matter which doctor you went to. It’s scary to think that our options may soon be limited.
Could a supercomputer revolutionize healthcare? Certainly. Are you ready to put your life in the hands of a machine? Chances are the answer is no. One can only hope that doctors will approach this technology with a grain of salt and use their own knowledge before trusting what the computer advises.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]About the Author: Ching Tyon loves to watch current trends in both technology and healthcare and is fascinated by this computer development. He also watches for news about yaz lawsuit settlements and other pharmaceutical issues.[/author_info] [/author]
