In the UK, researchers trialed an AI tool named Foresight, which generates digital replicas of patients to anticipate their future health and treatment outcomes.
The concept of digital twins, widely used across industries, enables engineers to simulate systems before physical deployment. Now, AI tools like Foresight extend this capability to healthcare.
Upon patient visits, data is added to their electronic health record (EHR), blending structured (e.g., age) and unstructured (e.g., test results) information. Foresight employs a GPT-based model to create a patient’s digital twin, leveraging vast EHR data to forecast health scenarios, from potential diseases to treatment responses.
James Teo, a study co-author, highlights Foresight’s distinct approach in envisioning diverse patient futures, unlike simple word prediction models.
More Details on the AI Tool
Traditionally, doctors rely on trial-and-error treatment approaches. Foresight, however, enables simulating multiple treatment options, predicting their outcomes, thereby offering a more efficient and patient-friendly strategy.
Foresight’s architecture involves CogStack for EHR data retrieval, MedCAT for annotation, Foresight Core for deep-learning, and a web application for model interaction.
Published in The Lancet Digital Health, the study trained Foresight on datasets from UK and US hospitals, accurately predicting patients’ next disorders and biomedical concepts.
Despite promising results, challenges like treatment evaluation and probability assessment remain. The researchers are developing Foresight 2 for improved accuracy, showcasing AI’s potential in revolutionizing healthcare quality through advancements in patient modeling and forecasting.
Foresight holds the potential to revolutionize not only individual patient care but also population health management. By aggregating and analyzing vast amounts of anonymized patient data, Foresight could identify trends and patterns at a scale unmatched by traditional methods. With further refinement and integration into healthcare systems, Foresight could pave the way for a proactive approach to healthcare delivery, ushering in an era where prevention truly becomes the cornerstone of medical practice.
See also: Doctors Caution That AI Health Enhancements May Pose As Risks.
