The healthcare system is under pressure from many sides. Overall, life expectancy is increasing, and new treatment options are being introduced continuously. All of which contribute to the demand for healthcare services. At the same time, healthcare resources are limited. Thus, there is great potential for introducing digital health solutions that can support healthcare staff.
In DIREC, we are actively building a knowledge base around how digital technology can help the healthcare sector, and we have launched a project within digitization and healthcare.
One example is the use of AI within health care. Today, large amounts of health data are produced both by the health service, but also by citizens. Being able to use advanced algorithms to analyze and find patterns in this data is an obvious place where digital technology can make a difference. But the workflows need to be well thought out and you need to pay close attention to the individual citizen and patient. Focus is not so much on replacing health care personnel with digital solutions, but rather on giving the clinicians new tools that can reduce the trivial tasks and help clinicians perform their work more efficiently with higher quality.
Additionally, the use of robots is still limited within the healthcare system but, in the long term, there will also be great potential in using robots both for clinical and logistical tasks in hospitals and as welfare technology solutions. In relation to the development of new medicines, digital technology can help support the processes and AI algorithms such as fold proteins can support the work here. Likewise, a potential future quantum computer can help simulate complex chemical interactions.
Finally, there is great potential in exploiting the fact that many citizens and patients are beginning to have advanced smartphones, where prescribing an app can in some cases be an alternative to medical treatment or hospitalization.
In DIREC, we are working on using state-of-the-art digital research to benefit the healthcare sector. One area we have looked into is how to develop explainable AI for clinicians.
Together with clinicians, this project aims to develop explanatory AI that can help medical staff make qualified decisions by taking the role as a mentor who provides feedback and advice for the clinicians. It is important that the explainable AI provides good explanations that are easy to understand and utilize during the medical staff’s workflow.
23 May 2024
After two years of collaboration, a team of researchers from Danish universities has developed an artificial intelligence capable of evaluating the quality of ultrasound scans of pregnant women, drawing insights from experienced physicians. This innovation aims to enhance the quality of scans not only within Denmark but also in developing nations.
16 November 2022
In Denmark we have a shortage of medical specialists and nurses. In 2025, according to the Danish Nurses’ Organization, there will be a shortage of at least 6,000 nurses, and the lack of medical specialists is also a huge problem for a hospital sector under a historically high pressure.
17 October 2022
There is an increasing demand in Denmark for new and more advanced healthcare services. In the coming years, there will be more elderly people with treatment needs and a decreasing youth population to take care of the elderly.
26 November 2021
In a new DIREC project, AI researchers are collaborating with hospitals to create more useful AI and AI algorithms that are easier to understand.
20 March 2021
CEO and President of Falck, Jakob Riis shares his conversation with Managing Director of DIREC (Digital Research Centre Denmark), Thomas Riisgaard Hansen. Thomas considers digitalisation an imperative for health as a mean not only for optimisation but also to create better outcomes.
