Future of Medicine: How AI and Robots Are Revolutionizing Patient Care!

Future of Medicine: How AI and Robots Are Revolutionizing Patient Care!

In today's podcast from the University of Münster, the development of university medicine is discussed by Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Hofer and Prof. Dr. Alexander Friedrich discussed in detail. The experts shed light on how Münster University Medical Center is focusing on new technologies to optimize patient care in the face of an aging population and a declining number of doctors. In this context, the use of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important uni-muenster.de reported.

The Medical Faculty of the University of Münster, which was founded on May 16, 1925, will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary. The podcast episode addresses the challenges that will accompany the financing and structure of university medicine in the future. In this context, Alexander Friedrich emphasizes the need for further development of the location and the importance of cooperation with clinics and practices in Münsterland.

Historical review and successes of the faculty

The podcast also addresses the beginnings of university medicine. After the First World War, the German medical profession felt responsible for the “recovery of the German people”. The opening of the faculty was seen as a “quantum leap” for the medical landscape and met with great approval among the population. Awards like that of the first antibiotic by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Domagk contributed to the faculty's high reputation.

Today the campus includes 78 institutes and clinics covering almost all medical disciplines. Alexander Friedrich describes the multitude of institutions as an “orchestra” that plays a “symphony” together. This solidarity is essential to meet the challenges of modern medicine.

AI in medicine

The application of artificial intelligence in medicine shows promising progress that also extends beyond the Münster University Medical Center. One example is the AI ​​system “Maia” at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), which has been in use since January 2023. Maia records previous illnesses and current values ​​of patients in order to derive risks such as the risk of falling after an operation. The challenges and potential of this technology were also tested in a pilot project in collaboration with the Hamburg software company Tiplu, which started in 2022. How taz.de reported, the direct application of AI systems in patient care is rare in Germany.

Processing large amounts of data enables comprehensive decision-making, as required in modern medicine. AI is also used in chronic disease monitoring and hospital data management. Robotic surgery is also becoming more precise through access to large amounts of data, which is particularly beneficial in specialized areas such as breast cancer prevention. In Schleswig-Holstein, for example, a project for quality-assured breast diagnostics (QuaMaDi) has been carried out since 2001.

In addition, workshops on ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of AI were held at the Hannover Medical School. These controversies are particularly relevant considering that approximately 170 medical laypeople and experts took part in the discussions. The recommendations for patients include requesting information about the use of AI and asking specific questions about the reliability of the results.

Future outlook and challenges

Digitalization is leading to a massive increase in collected data. Industry 4.0 shows how such data can be used effectively, and these principles can also be transferred to medicine. Connecting medical and non-medical data could lead to more efficient, rational decisions and promote the individualization of therapies and the early detection of diseases. In this context, large amounts of data and artificial intelligence are key concepts that will shape future medicine. For example, they enable clinical decision-making, robot-assisted surgery and medical image processing, such as fraunhofer.de summarizes.

In summary, it shows that the Münster University Medical Center and leading institutions face a variety of challenges, but also have the opportunity to sustainably improve patient care through innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence.