Diagnosis is one of the most challenging aspects of working in the rare disease space. A recent partnership between IBM and Wellpoint, a health benefits company, might signal a dramatic shift in how patient diagnoses are made.
IBM's 'Watson' supercomputer to be used in the healthcare sector.
Watson, IBM’s supercomputer, has taken on chess champions and Jeopardy! contestants. It is about to get its first real-world application in the healthcare sector. WellPoint is working with IBM to develop and launch Watson-based solutions to help “improve patient care through the delivery of up-to-date, evidence-based health care for millions of Americans.”
Wellpoint’s press release states that, “Watson can sift through an equivalent of about 1 million books or roughly 200 million pages of data, and analyze this information and provide precise responses in less than three seconds. Using this extraordinary capability WellPoint is expected to enable Watson to allow physicians to easily coordinate medical data programmed into Watson with specified patient factors, to help identify the most likely diagnosis and treatment options in complex cases.”
Watson’s potential to aid in diagnosis is amazing – and indicative of the shift in how technology has become critical in healthcare. In one test case cited by WellPoint, Watson was able to diagnose a rare disease within seconds – a case that had previously left doctors baffled.
Patients are not just data sets, though.
Practicing medicine requires a human element. Someone must perform exams, take patient histories, observe symptoms, present diagnosis, and aid in care. Diagnosis is more than seeing; it’s perceiving and placing those perceptions within the context of a patient’s clinical experiences. There is collaboration between patient and doctor in determining what is wrong.
Will the human skills of medicine (listening, communication, empathy) become more critical as technology evolves? Or will accurate data collection be the focus? Will Watson ever be asked to provide differential diagnosis? Will health insurers allow for a second opinion when they have Watson?
As marketers in the rare disease state, will disease-state education for both HCPs and patients become even more valuable? As patients, will Watson be a comforting solution for diagnosis?
