The Watson technology developed by the International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is programmed to dig into a patient’s health records and medical literature while referencing it with case file histories and arrive at a professional opinion. The program complements the doctor’s efforts in gathering patient medical information thereby making its validation faster and more reliable. The program also presents the doctors with several treatment options on a scale of most viable treatment to options not recommended.
Coping through databases
A human doctor can’t analyze all the medical literature on cancer and the patient’s medical history to their entirety and remember all the facts therein when arriving at a professional opinion. But IBM’s Watson can, theoretically, and come up with a well-explained string of possible treatment options.
Showcasing how Watson operates at a recently concluded Fortune’s Brainstorm Health Conference, IBM’s life science and health care lead said that, “In addition to having the patient informed on various treatment options, you can turn around the iPad, and make a decision based on what’s right for you.”
Transforming the health sector
For the past one year, Watson has played a crucial role in transforming the health care industry considering that approximately 100 hospitals are using this technology. And not just in cancer treatment. The in-depth research and analysis capabilities of Watson have been useful in identifying rare and undiagnosed diseases by running them through historical records and medical textbooks or journals.
Inter-industry partnerships formulation
Watson’s current results are impressive. Nonetheless, to make them more accurate, reliable, and more accessible to the public, IBM needs to partner with leading industry medical researchers as well as well as on-ground practitioners. So far the Watson program has partnered with several companies and institutions like Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center that use its program while Watson gets access to their research and medical documents.
IBM made public its plans to avail the Watson health care service to all staff starting next year. It also unveiled a roadmap to partnering with more health service providers like Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE:DGX) and others across the country to increase Watson’s data sequencing capabilities.
