Rome, September 26 – But really “Dr. Google” and more generally artificial intelligence can substitute, even replace him, the family doctor, as in the past, with more color and warmth, he was called what today is the Mmg? With all due respect to those who are convinced of the oppositethe Italian doctors respond without any hesitation of no, through their maximum exponent, the president of Fnomceo Filippo Anelli (in the picture).
From which comes a firm yes to artificial intelligence and its applications in medicine, but also a firm and resolute no to using the new frontiers and new IT tools as a surrogate for the doctor. Rings reiterated this just a few days ago in front of the board of experts – doctors, jurists, journalists, philosophers of medicine, exponents of civil society – who are entrusted with the organization of the Conference which, on 24 and 25 November in Rome, will officially launch the revision of the Code of Ethics for the medical profession. The text in force today dates back to 2014: among the topics that will be treated for the first time, there will be artificial intelligence. From predictive diagnostics to precision medicine, from drug and vaccine development to rehabilitation, artificial intelligence technologies are increasingly used. Up to claiming, in fact, to replace the doctor, as is already the case in the United Kingdom, where the company Babylon Health, which provides primary care services in agreement with the National health service, offers its clients the possibility of using a symptom checker chatbotthat is to say an automated chat capable of providing, on the basis of the symptoms described, an assessment of one’s state of health.
“We do not want this tool to become an alternative to the doctor” Rings said “As happened in England, where citizens were asked to choose between a doctor and a computer. We think that algorithms, the ability that the computer will have to process a series of data, can be a fundamental tool for the doctor. The computer, artificial intelligence will become a fundamental aid to be more and more precise in diagnosis and to be more effective in therapy. Here, I think this is what we have to do. The PNRR today estimates about 50 million euros to carry out this process of applying artificial intelligence to general medicine. We do not want a replacement of the doctor, we believe that the system should instead help the doctor to do his activity even better “.
Among other topics at the center of the discussion, the training of the doctor. “A large part of the board considers it essential that the Code intervene even more” President Fnomceo said about it “In such a way that future doctors are given the tools to better manage the relationship with citizens, communication, which, as the law says, is part of the treatment, is itself a cure. The doctors of tomorrow must learn to dedicate time to the patient, to listen to him, to re-evaluate the singularity of the individual using the complexity of the tools available to arrive at a diagnosis and to define a therapy. Among these, there will certainly be artificial intelligence ”.
