Can synthetic intelligence make you more healthy? Are you able to inform in case your coronary heart is failing by going to the toilet? Will a fungus trigger our subsequent pandemic? And can all of us be consuming mushrooms to enhance our psychological well being?
South by Southwest’s 5 days of panels and keynotes in its well being and medical know-how observe contemplated big-picture questions on what the way forward for well being care can be and confirmed us what’s already attainable.
Here is what we discovered:
Your bathroom might present well being solutions
Dr. Vin Gupta, a medical guide for MSNBC, spoke about enhancing entry to well being care by means of present applied sciences. One instance: a rest room with sensors to observe an individual’s pulse, blood strain and oxygen ranges whereas sitting on the bathroom as a part of their day by day routine. One other: a mirror that appears into your eyes whilst you brush your tooth and retrieves this identical data.
As nicely, knowledge assortment enhancements from good watches, to make it more practical than the blood strain cuffs as a result of extra individuals put on good warches and the info is extra dependable, he stated.
Blood checks for particular T cells to display for cancers might be extra correct and cost-effective than costly whole-body MRI or the present one-cancer particular checks like colonoscopies or mammograms.
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Synthetic Intelligence is a part of well being care and should not be feared
Panel after panel within the well being observe famous that synthetic intelligence is a possible resolution to a rising shortage of well being employees.
Dell Medical Faculty Dean Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti led an AI and drugs dialogue, and took part on a panel on the expansion of Austin as a medical and know-how hub. AI will “retool” the best way medical faculties ship schooling, she stated. Docs have to be each empathetic and skilled in know-how, she stated.
AI will assist in medical file conserving so medical doctors can spend extra time with sufferers. AI will kind by means of huge quantities of information to assist make predictive diagnoses {that a} human physician will take beneath advisement.
Gupta confirmed AI that may enable a affected person or a health care provider to place in take a look at outcomes, signs and medical readings to obtain a suggestive analysis. Gupta likens it to the following technology of WebMD, however with extra customized solutions.
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Entry and fairness is the prevailing roadblock in well being care
Fairness got here up repeatedly in panels on most cancers, diabetes, LGBTQ+ and ladies’s well being, dementia and getting old, and AI and know-how.
Some options:
- Residence care by means of telehealth, group well being employees, wearable know-how or apps which are higher than the present affected person portals.
- Medical college schooling that features variety, fairness and inclusion coaching and affirming the gender spectrum.
- Recruiting practitioners that mirror their group and communicate the identical language.
- Laws to cut back prescription prices and require insurance coverage to cowl these prescriptions.
- AI to kinds by means of affected person knowledge, establish gaps and helps suppliers goal sufferers straight for care they’re lacking.
- Reimbursing members of the family for the care they supply.
Psychwdelics will change into extra mainstream
Psychedelic drugs firm Reunion Neuroscience is at the moment enrolling 72 members in a section 2 medical trial for postpartum melancholy remedy utilizing psilocybin (aka mushrooms). The FDA is predicted to approve using MDMA (aka Molly or ecstacy) for post-traumatic stress dysfunction this summer season.
These aren’t dwelling therapies. They are going to be extremely regulated and achieved beneath the care of a well being care employee.
Why do not taxpayers personal the medication we fund?
Entrepreneur Mark Cuban requested this query of Renee Wegrzyn, the director of the federal Superior Analysis Initiatives Company for Well being. ARPA-H is designed to fund moonshot tasks like complete eye transplant or reversing osteoarthritis by having joints heal themselves.
“Moonshots after they hit, not solely have an effect on public well being, however they will have an effect financially,” Cuban stated. Think about the influence they may have if we made “tax payers the shareholders,” he stated.
Gupta additionally referenced this drawback in his speak about accessibility. The analysis for drugs like the brand new diabetes and weight reduction medication was funded by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, he stated, but, individuals cannot entry these drugs when their insurance coverage will not pay.
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Might a fungus trigger the following pandemic?
Riffing off of the TV present/online game “The Final of Us,” by which a fungus takes over humanity, a panel on fungi talked concerning the chance. With international warming, fungi have change into extra tailored to greater temperatures just like the human physique, and with using fungicides in farming, fungi are extra immune to therapies.
So what might be achieved? Proper now, we solely have three drugs to deal with a fungal an infection, a minimum of ones that will not kill the human.
Scientists try to get federal laws known as the Pasteur Act handed by Congress. This would offer funding to stockpile these drugs and develop new ones for just-in-case situations and make creating antifungals economically sound.
We have to consider antifungal drugs like a fireplace extinguisher, stated Dr. John Rex, a drug developer. You put money into having a fireplace extinguisher to hopefully by no means use it, he stated.