IBM Watson is more than a supercomputer. It is a cognitive system
capable of natural language processing, and is able to perform deep
natural language processing to make it seem like you are talking to a
human, and not just a computer.
Watson achieved fame when it beat contestants on the popular game show Jeopardy!, and again when it beat Harvard Business School students in the same game show, taking home $56,33.
But Watson is not just about beating people in mind games, as it has evolved into something that is useful for people.
Meet Dr. Watson
In 2011, WellPoint’s Chief Medical Officer Sam Nussbaum, M.D announced that Watson-based services will be utilized to deliver patient care and
diagnosis solutions and reduce costs. The need for something like
Watson in the field of healthcare stems from the fact that huge amounts
of data are being generated in this field on a daily basis. With more
people seeking proper healthcare, industry professionals are finding it
hard to keep track of patients’ care plans or give them the right
treatment plans. This often leads to costly and unnecessary procedures.
A few months after, it was announced
that doctors at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at
Cedars Sinai will be utilizing Watson to “comb through patient medical
histories, medical journals and clinical trials to provide appropriate
treatments,” for cancer patients. The institute was chosen for its
reputation in oncology.
So why cancer treatment? Watson CTO, IBM Fellow, and VP Rob High claims
that the team wanted to make a difference. With all the changes and
challenges arising in the field of cancer research, Watson will be able
to quickly access the latest researchers and experimental trials, all in
the hopes of improving patient outcome.
Professor Watson
Watson is also being utilized as a teaching tool. At the
Cleveland Clinic, the IBM Research team is using Watson to gather
information as to how medical students learn as well as see how Watson
reaches its conclusions. High claims
that this “helps students understand the patterns and strategies for
how Watson learns things that they might also use. And that’s reciprocal
– Watson’s also learning from the students.”
The most recent medical achievement for Watson is its stint at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to treat lung and breast cancer patients
as well as streamline treatment preauthorizations at WellPoint. Dr.
Nussbaum predicts that Watson could eliminate or greatly reduce waiting
time for patients as physicians will be more effective in handling
patients. He states that right now, only 12 percent of a doctor’s time
is actually spent on a patient. The rest of the time is spent dealing
with paperwork and medical billing like WellPoint, particularly in
obtaining preauthorizations for the treatments.
If Dr. Nussbaum’s predictions are correct, Watson could
become a vital piece of medical tool for every hospital or clinic. More
people will be given medical treatment faster, and more positive
outcomes would result in this.
By: Melissa Tolentino
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