07Jul
Healthcare systems in Australia are responding to complex and continually changing factors. With 28% of Australians living in rural and remote areas, together with a sizeable ageing population, many communities face a serious shortage of doctors and nurses. At the same time, disparities in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people and non-Indigenous Australians are driving a 'health gap'.
Many factors determine access to quality, affordable healthcare ,not only in Australia, but around the world. According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data, ''at least 50% of the world's population still lacks full coverage of essential health services''. Across Australia, the science, healthcare, and assessment industries are collectively looking at ways to tackle these issues and drive better healthcare outcomes for all.
Last year, our national science agency the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), launched research highlighting a new 'extraordinary era' of AI in healthcare. As CSIRO's research director, Dr David Hansen, emphasised: ''The use of AI in healthcare is unique because the accuracy of models could mean the difference between life or death, or ongoing health or illness.''
According to Pearson's 2024 Skills Outlook, ''AI is set to transform clinician capabilities, improve diagnostics, and help deliver personalised treatments.'' To fully realise this potential, effective assessment and qualification will be essential for ensuring competency and fostering trust between practitioners and patients.
how can AI be used to measure and verify a wide range of skills required for safe and effective patient care?
Simulation-based assessments are commonly used to train healthcare professionals in their handling of real-world scenarios. Over the last decade, this method of assessment has evolved to evaluate technical skills across a wide variety of clinically related situations. Rather than a standalone tool, simulations are used alongside other tests of competence to ensure a healthcare professional is equipped to practise, and now — like many assessment tools — it's being reimagined by AI.
It will be exciting to see how simulation-based assessment ;enhanced by AI , will allow healthcare professionals to demonstrate practical, real-world skills in much more dynamic and adaptive environments than ever before. While traditional real-world simulations have their benefits, they're expensive and can be limited in their use.
Setting up a physical environment takes time and money often actors need to be recruited and trained to play patient roles. And even then, there are some scenarios that realistically cannot be recreated like rare emergencies or situations involving cultural nuances. AI can bridge that gap by generating more personalised, complex, or repeatable scenarios more quickly. Advancements with this technology will only broaden the use of simulation-based training and assessment in healthcare.
Not long ago, NVIDIA released the world's first humanoid robot foundation model ; along with advanced simulation frameworks. What's fascinating is that these robots can learn far more from simulated environments than from real-world experiences. And the same principle applies to human learning, too. When it comes to preparing healthcare professionals for high-stakes, fast-paced environments, AI-enhanced simulation might just be the most powerful training and assessment tool we have.
Think for a moment about all the types of people you encounter in a hospital ,professionals with varying degrees of experience ,perhaps with different perspectives and from different cultures. With AI simulations, highly skilled, advanced medical professionals.
experienced medical students, can rehearse different types of scenarios multiple times to mitigate risk or stress test new techniques or treatments.
Advancing emergency medicine: AI can adjust patient responses in real-time such as escalating during a crisis and de-escalating based on treatment or shifting symptoms based on candidate hesitation , mimicking the unpredictability of real clinical care.
For instance, could AI-enhanced simulation-based assessments better train a medical professional in resuscitation skills? — where seconds could be the difference between life and death? With the way technology is progressing, there's significant potential in helping specialists in A&E departments respond even quicker in a crisis.
Improving GP consultations: While many doctors in Australia bulk bill their patients to ensure services are accessible to everyone, some argue that some doctors choose not to bulk bill at all, or minimise the time spent with each patient to maximise the Medicare rebate. In the run up to the Australian federal election, this became a hot topic, with the government pledging $8.5 billion investment to expand bulk billing initiatives.
AI-simulated consultations have the potential to better prepare healthcare professionals for the critical role of general practice ;often the gateway to early detection of health issues and follow-up care.
Beyond evaluating clinical reasoning and decision-making, these simulations could also assess how effectively medical professionals use AI tools for consultations. This approach not only supports the development of more effective and efficient practitioners but also enhances patient outcomes by integrating technology into real-world scenarios without sacrificing standards of care.
Developing soft skills like communication: Vital health worker roles now require a blend of compassionate patient interaction as well as the increasing use of advanced technologies. Quality patient interactions are based on technology and human-centric skills — and finding the perfect balance. For instance, amidst a shortage of nurses, there's increasing demand for nursing assistants and registered nurses adept in soft as well as technical skills.
AI-driven avatars can simulate different types of patients: individuals from a range of demographics or from underrepresented groups ,evaluating how nursing candidates navigate difficult conversations, show empathy, and resolve problems.
These AI-based simulators can also offer personalised feedback ;adjusting the level of difficulty of simulated scenarios based on the learner's proficiency. And large language models can create realistic dialogue, such as a patient panicking in a crisis.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please be mindful of fake and Malicious websites run by Anonymous Fraudulent and Malicious personnels and groups posing as Guaranty Affiliates of WWW.VOICEOFUMNP.COM and (SITE123),Do not disclose your personal information and financial details to "Malicious and Suspecious Portal" or "Pop-up Messages", Within the duration you Surf the internet.
Kindly,Subscribe with your Valid Email Address and receive Relevant Notifications to your active Device with Professionalism.
Thankyou for the Scheduled Quality Ample Time.
