Eric Topol

Dr Topol has done a review for NHS England on the future of AI and knowledge management etc which is of interest to me professionally so I wanted to read his book on the topic. Mostly very interesting although as he says himself things are changing so fast it's hard to identify what will change the world and what will just fizzle out. He sees it as a way to free health professionals from the "grunt" work and have more personal connection to patients. Not convinced that will happen myself but we can only hope.… (mer)

The author, an innovative medical school president in California, is one of my favorites on the topic of computing in medicine. He sees the medical landscape wider than most scholars, and he is a true humanist at heart. He surveys the field of artificial intelligence and sees how it could apply to modern medicine.

Most of the described projects are pipe dreams now, but Topol sees potential in them. Of course, they need rigorous clinical trials to demonstrate their efficacy. I would love for my personal doctor to prescribe a mobile app for me to track this or that.

I’ve been on the bandwagon of medical mobile apps for a while now. They adopt the power of computing to the ever-changing landscape of life. Artificial intelligence can only add to this power as it will help us solve many problems. In the clinic, virtual assistants, equipped with the power of Natural Language Processing, can even help MDs spend more “human time” with their patients.

Of course, not all will be ideal. Topol tackles the dysutopian themes of artificial intelligence, too. We must be sure that ethics continue to be maintained and that humans remain the driver in the doctor-patient relationship. But in truth, are humans really the driver in the relationship now? Money is a much stronger driver than humanism now. Let’s hope that artificial intelligence adds to the humanism before the money can take over even more.

This book is a great read for those in the field of medical technology, healthcare, or technology. It’s written in an accessible manner while still be thoroughly researched. I love all of Topol’s work.… (mer)

Lots of good ideas in this book. Topol's two main points seem to be that individuals should take charge of their own medical selves as partners with physicians, which means that physicians need to communicate better with patients, including making all their notes and diagnostic tests available to their patients. And secondly, that greater use of technology, both diagnostic and big data type technology could greatly improve medical outcomes. He sees the smart phone as the centerpiece for both gathering diagnostic data (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, respiration, etc.) via attached devices and for accessing one's personal medical record. The smart phone could also be used to access medical databases, virtual doctors and for tele-medicine.

For all the ideas presented in the book, Topol references relevant research. Many of his ideas seem to make sense, and could not only improve medical outcomes, but could also reduce costs. In some ways his view of the future of medicine is so sweeping and Utopian that it almost seems unattainable, but even if just some of the ideas presented in this book work, I think we will be better off.… (mer)