I recall reading about the launch of "One-minute Clinics" in China by Ping An Good Doctor. It was a fascinating glimpse into a future where technology makes healthcare incredibly accessible. The news sparked a thought that I shared at the time with my colleague, Deepa. While AI-driven consultations are revolutionary, their true potential is entirely dependent on the data they can work with.
This brings me to a fundamental challenge we often overlook: the structure of our own health records.
Most of our critical health information, like lab reports, starts as typed documents. However, the moment we scan or photograph them for digital storage, they become static images. They are digital, yes, but they are not data in a usable sense. They are pictures of data, locked and unsearchable. A doctor wanting to track a specific marker like "Albumin" or "Hemoglobin" over a decade cannot simply search a patient's digital file if it's just a collection of JPEGs.
In a brief note I wrote back then, which I also posted on my blog (This might interest you), I proposed what I believe is a foundational solution: integrating Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software into our health database systems. With OCR, these typed images can be converted back into machine-readable text with remarkable accuracy. Instantly, every word, every number, every result becomes a searchable data point.
Reflecting on this today, the idea feels more urgent than ever. We are building sophisticated AI models capable of predicting health outcomes and personalizing treatments. But for any of these advanced systems to function, they need to be able to read and comprehend our medical histories. An AI cannot analyze a picture of a report; it needs the text itself. My suggestion from years ago was about building the right foundation. It’s not the most glamorous part of HealthTech, but it is the most essential.
Seeing how far AI in medicine has come, I feel a sense of validation about that earlier insight. We must ensure our futuristic healthcare solutions are not built on a shaky foundation of inaccessible data. The true revolution begins when we unlock the information we already have.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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