Telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI): how are they similar and how are they different ?

• If we had the resources and ability to have an expert physician, be in-person with every single patient who needs us, but we just don’t.
• We have to innovate. We have find ways to be efficient, way to use technology to maximize what we’re able to do and connect with patients

Similarities:

• Both telemedicine and AI are pretty similar in that way that they can potentially do that:
  • both telemedicine and AI aim to improve efficiency, given the limited human resources.
  • both aspire to improve clinical care through the use of technology.
  • both have a lot of great promise and concept, but they actually haven’t been deployed all that much. Although well documented pre-pandemic, Telemedicine has continued to be very much researched and there’s a lot of evidence to back it all up.
  • Even now, there’s been a lot of expansion in video visits, but a lot of the other methods such as “store-and-forward” have not still been adequately used, I think.
• Both cause fears. There’s a lot of fear amongst other providers:
  • fears about privacy concerns
  • lack of autonomy
  • fear of losing jobs
  • fear of losing human connection….We need to not only be aware of all that, we need to figure out what we’re not thinking of. We need to know how to address these things.

Differences:

• AI has not really been used in clinic care all of that much. Telemedicine has been expanded a lot more.
• AI, it’s more conceptual, more research hasn’t really been deployed, but a lot of people underestimate how much AI IS already so embedded in every fabric of our society:
  • If I get on my phone to text someone after this talk, it might suggest that I put in an emoji or putting in something.
  • If I’m replying to an email, it might say, suggest, “Sounds good.”
  • If I’m driving home, I use my GPS.
  • Financial services.
  • It’s embedded in ways we just don’t even perceive because WE’RE so used to it.
• Telemedicine has this large body of research, especially in dermatology. It hasn’t really been implemented, but we’re seeing this really exciting pandemic-driven change in the equilibrium of where it is in our medical culture and society. We’ll have to see what impact that has longer term.

Jules Lipoff, MD. Education for Teledermatology and AI in Dermatology. 8th World Congress of Teledermatology, Skin Imaging and AI in Skin diseases – November 2020