Medical professionals have long used technology to help them diagnose patients and formulate a comprehensive treatment protocol. Now, artificial intelligence is joining the list of tools available for medical care.
This is stoking concern as to what happens if artificial intelligence makes a mistake. Knowing who to hold accountable if a person has been harmed or a family has lost a loved one due to AI missteps with medical care is imperative.
Medical professionals strive to mitigate potential AI errors
With AI becoming a key part of patient care – particularly with gastrointestinal diagnosis – it is believed there will be mistakes made when using it or because of the algorithms inherent with it. This is problematic in several ways including determining who is responsible if a patient is harmed.
Researchers are preparing guidelines to allocate responsibility for errors and dictate who is liable for them. A recently published paper gauged legal ramifications for AI for gastrointestinal endoscopy. The technology searches for potentially cancerous polyps in the colon. Its algorithm could have flaws that cause mistakes.
Even as guidelines are created for this treatment, AI is advancing quickly to other areas of care. It is believed to have the potential to make tissue biopsies unnecessary. It could be a positive for physicians as they try to provide proper care for their patients. With more automation and AI use, the diagnostic options increase, but so too do the dangers of AI analysis being inaccurate.
According to the authors, the allocation of responsibility will hinge on how medical professionals are using AI, how much automation is being used and if the results are scrutinized.
Medical malpractice can happen in myriad ways
Whether it is a doctor misdiagnosing a medical problem, wrong site surgery, a medication error or AI making a diagnostic blunder, it is essential for people who have been harmed and families left behind after a loved one has died to know their options.
It is vital to accrue evidence as to what happened, know who might have been responsible and take steps to hold them accountable. Having comprehensive guidance with a medical malpractice claim is key no matter the circumstances.