NVIDIA and Hippocratic AI, a healthcare technology start-up, are collaborating to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “healthcare agents” that can provide basic patient care such as medical advice and scheduling appointments through video calls and over the phone. The AI agents, claimed to perform better than human nurses in many respects, cost US$9 per hour to run.
The companies have identified AI as a means of addressing urgent healthcare sector needs including staff shortages and improving access to high-quality care. In a demonstration from NVIDIA, an AI “nurse” named Rachel was shown interacting with a patient post-appendectomy, providing medication guidance and answering antibiotic-related queries. Survey data from Hippocratic AI indicates that its AI agents surpass human nurses in key performance areas such as bedside manner and patient education.
However, the transition to AI-based healthcare is likely to be complex and fraught with challenges. While the technology has the potential to help resolve the staffing shortage and reduce costs for patients, it also raises concerns about the role of human nurses in healthcare.
Factors contributing to the current nursing crisis include poor working conditions and inadequate compensation. The introduction of AI technology to the field could be seen as a progressive step towards tackling these problems, provided it doesn’t serve as a justification for further staff reductions.
Though promising, the timeline for widespread adoption of AI nurses is still uncertain, depending significantly on regulatory approval and acceptance by healthcare professionals. Until such issues are addressed, the vision of a healthcare utopia where human error is eliminated and robotic doctors have boundless time and patience to cater to our every medical requirement will remain a dream.
