Blog article
Charts the evolution of women's healthcare in the age of AI and reveals the potential and challenges of predictive technology to close the gender gap in health.
Published April 12, 2024
Beyond cancer, women-specific Less than 2% of global healthcare R&D is disease-specific. life and economy. ” Closing this gap could inject more than $1 trillion a year into the global economy by 2040 by increasing women's labor force participation. In February 2024, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden announced a $100 million federal funding initiative for women's health research, fundamentally changing the way U.S. research in this area is approached and funded. It was an important milestone for the White House's initiative on women's health research. On March 9, 2024, the South by Southwest Conference hosted an important panel discussion titled “Can AI Close the Gender Gap in Health?” Moderated by Sara Reistad-Long, Healthcare Strategist at Empowered. This gathering of clinicians, digital health technology executives, and investors delved into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive technology in reducing gender disparities in healthcare.
Women's health beyond reproduction
The panelists first established a common definition of “women's health.” Historically, women's health has been narrowly defined as reproductive health, primarily regarding the female reproductive organs such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and to some extent the breasts. But as panelist Dr. Christina Jenkins, general partner at Convergent Ventures, aptly pointed out, the scope of women's health extends beyond this narrow scope. “There's so much more to women's health than that,” she stressed, advocating for a broader understanding. She says, “We think of 'women's health' as a specific practice…focusing on things that are unique to women. teeth their reproductive organs and [associated conditions]But it also includes conditions that disproportionately affect women…or differently. ” She detailed examples ranging from autoimmune diseases to migraines, colon cancer, and women's varying responses to asthma medications.
Overlooked and Underserved: Blind Spots in Women's Health
The historical exclusion of women from health research and clinical trials has meant that women's bodies and health outcomes have mirrored those of men, ignoring their unique biological and medical complexities. This false belief has perpetuated. “Until 1993, women were not included in medical research. Women are later diagnosed with more than 700 diseases. Some of the most pressing chronic diseases on the rise, such as autoimmune diseases, are delayed until diagnosed. It takes five to seven years for the disease to develop, and 80% of cases occur in women,” said panelist Dr. Robin Bergin, CEO and founder of digital health company Parsley. health.
The promise of AI to bridge the gap between research and practice
Dr. Alicia Jackson, CEO and Founder of Evernow, a digital health company focused on the health of women over 40, is the author of the project that has produced one of the most extensive and diverse datasets on menopause and perimenopause. has been at the forefront of innovative research. This data set provides a multifaceted understanding, from the onset of physical symptoms at these life stages to the impact of variables such as race, ethnicity, income level, presence of a hysterectomy, and concomitant medications on patient outcomes. It contains. Additionally, Jackson and her team have identified treatment protocols associated with both short-term relief and long-term health benefits. Despite having this wealth of information, Jackson asked an important question. “I have this huge data set, but how can I actually put it into clinical practice and impact the women I meet tomorrow?” There is a huge opportunity to leverage data and gain insights to personalize care,” Bergin added.
From data deluge to personalized care
Despite the growing availability of a wealth of research data on women's health, significant challenges remain in rapidly translating this data into effective patient care. More than 1 million new biomedical peer-reviewed publications are added to the PubMed database each year, a sheer volume overwhelming individual health care providers. “This is a total amount of research that would be impossible for an individual physician…to digest and utilize,” Bergin said. “It takes 17 years for new information to reach medical education after publication, and even longer for it to reach clinical practice,” she lamented. “What excites me about AI and closing the gender gap is the opportunity to close the research gap. The speed and pace of gaining insights from data is like drinking from a fire hose, but it represents an opportunity for us to catch up. [on] That gender gap. ” Jackson added, “AI has given me a time machine so I can immediately take the results and apply them to impact women today.”
AI nurse anytime, anywhere
The conversation turned to AI's potential to address America's severe health care worker shortage. Berzin highlighted systemic problems, saying, “We don't have enough doctors. We don't train enough doctors. We don't import enough doctors. There's a really big disparity when it comes to doctor placement.” Jackson highlighted the potential for AI to expand the role of AI beyond addressing provider shortages and speeding up diagnostic processes to promote culturally sensitive care. She emphasized that AI does more than just provide data and results. It's about understanding the nuances of cultural preferences in healthcare delivery. Jackson said women want more than a discussion about symptoms, she noted. They want to take a closer look at the emotional and relational impact of running a health system. “Right now, traditional healthcare systems don't have the time to listen and understand beyond a 15-minute appointment.” However, AI offers the possibility of giving patients unlimited time to share their experiences. Masu. With the help of AI, patients can access personalized care based on their wishes, enabling a richer and more fulfilling healthcare experience. Jackson continued, “If you have an AI nurse who pays $9 an hour, you can take on all of that.” [patient] history, that [the patient can] Keep increasing it by calling in the middle of the night or on your way to work. [history]…Now you have created a very rich experience. Suddenly, your medical care will be tailored to your wishes. ”
Empowering female patients with AI
In addition to its potential to improve healthcare accessibility and availability, AI has also emerged as a catalyst for empowering women to take charge of healthcare initiatives. Jackson highlighted a pervasive problem in women's health care: the need for multiple doctor visits to receive the correct diagnosis. She aims to enable women to input their symptoms into AI platforms such as ChatGPT, integrate data from wearable devices, and instantly receive informed guidance such as urgent care recommendations. By doing so, we emphasized the transformative potential of AI to fill this gap. This represents a major advance in patient empowerment.
AI's Achilles heel
But Jenkins warned of the pitfalls of AI, citing the example of Babylon Health, a UK-based digital health service provider. She said that during system testing, the Babylon Health AI platform misdiagnosed a woman experiencing heart attack symptoms as having an anxiety attack and advised a man with the same symptoms and medical history to seek immediate medical attention. He talked about the incident in detail. heart attack. “This is what happens when you build something good on bad data,” Jenkins warns. She went on to emphasize the importance of using real-world evidence to mitigate ingrained gender bias in clinical research data. She said: “It's essential to ensure that the algorithms not only eliminate bias, but that the data sources are there. That's why we need to use real-world evidence rather than clinical studies.”
Learn more about the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI-driven technologies into healthcare systems at our upcoming Academy conference. The new wave of AI in healthcare 2024Held in New York on May 1-2, 2024.