Ignacio H. Medrano, founder and Chief Medical Officer, reflects on a medical culture that too often defaults to intervention rather than allowing a more natural course of action. He shares a personal anecdote of a relative who, despite being relatively healthy for his age, was given potentially harmful immunotherapy for asymptomatic metastases from a previous kidney tumor. After the first dose, his relative suffered a heart attack — a testament to the possible harms that can be introduced by what he refers to as adherence to ‘protocol’.
Medrano’s experience led him to contemplate the data that is missing from this type of medical interaction — how many similar cases are there that go unrecorded and unanalyzed? How might these incidents inform future medical decisions if they were properly documented? He hints at the inadequacy of current medical recording and data usage.
His answer, as suggested by the title, is about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, and how patenting these algorithms can be troublesome. Although he doesn’t delve into specifics, it’s clear that Medrano considers patenting an AI algorithm a mistake.
AI technology, in his view, holds the promise to upgrade the medical sector — it could process vast amounts of data to chart probable patient outcomes or suggest alternative treatments. It can remove the ‘human error’ factor in documentation, and help create a more comprehensive medical database. However, patenting these algorithms could lead to restricted access to the technology, confining its use to those who can afford it and slowing down the general progress of medical technology.
Medrano’s call to action is aimed at those who understand the vast potential of integrating AI algorithms into medical practices for improving patient outcomes. The overall message is about seizing the potential of AI in an inclusive, readily-accessible manner to change medical decision-making for the better. It is about moving away from harmful protocols to harness a technology that promises improvement in medical practice, and ensuring it is within the reach of everyone in the healthcare system.
