A Computer that Allows Doctors to be More Human

By Toby Cosgrove, MD

With 43,000 medical journals, 79,000 clinical trials, and more than 25 million citations for biomedical literature on PubMed, the sheer volume of available medical information daunts even the most seasoned physician.

As a physician, it’s impossible to assimilate this volume of knowledge while also managing the complex cases – including diagnoses, blood tests, histories, DNA tests, algorithms, treatment plans and x-rays, CAT scans and other images – of hundreds of patients. And more is on the way; some predict the amount of medical data doctors can use to impact diagnoses and treatment will double every 73 days by 2020.

Watson, PA

Abundant medical research is a good problem to have, and a solution is on the way. IBM’s Watson will help us wade through this mass of data efficiently and meaningfully. The supercomputer is still in medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Upon graduation, Watson will use its cognitive computing to not just gather data, but understand, learn and find meaning in it, delivering suggested diagnoses and treatments.

Some have begun to refer to it as Watson, MD. I prefer to think of it Watson, PA, or physician’s assistant, because it will inform rather than make patient care decisions. Today’s doctors are smarter and better trained than ever. Technology will never replace the doctor, but it can make us better.

Less robotic, more human

By allowing Watson to crunch and cross-reference data and patient information, human doctors will have more time to spend with patients – talking to them, listening to them, understanding them. It may sound odd, but technology like Watson will make healthcare less robotic and more human.

Dr. Cosgrove is CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic.

Photo Credit ©IBM