Roger G. Mark, M.D., Ph.D.

Computer vision, or the method of giving machines the ability to process images in an advanced way, has been given increased attention by researchers in the last several years. It is a broad term meant to encompass all the means through which images can be used to achieve medical aims. Applications range from automatically scanning photos taken on mobile phones to creating 3-D renderings that aid in patient evaluations on to developing algorithmic models for emergency room use in underserved areas.

As access to a greater number of images is apt to provide researchers with a volume of data ideal for developing better and more robust algorithms, a collection of visuals that have been enhanced, or scrubbed of patients’ identifying details and then highlighted in critical areas, can have massive potential for researchers and radiologists who rely on photographic data in their work… Continue reading.

Many technology companies are working on artificial intelligence systems that can analyze medical data to help diagnose or treat health problems. Such systems raise the question of whether this kind of technology can perform as well as a human doctor.

A new study from MIT computer scientists suggests that human doctors provide a dimension that, as yet, artificial intelligence does not. By analyzing doctors’ written notes on intensive-care-unit patients, the researchers found that the doctors’ “gut feelings” about a particular patient’s condition played a significant role in determining how many tests they ordered for the patient.

“There’s something about a doctor’s experience, and their years of training and practice, that allows them to know in a more comprehensive sense, beyond just the list of symptoms, whether you’re doing well or you’re not… Continue reading.