On March 25, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko held a strategy session at Almazov Centre to discuss the use of AI-enabled medical devices in healthcare.
“Today, we see a high demand for artificial intelligence in healthcare. Indeed, artificial intelligence has already been introduced in processing X-ray, CT, MRI, ECG images and soon ultrasound and endoscopic studies will be added to this list. With the use of artificial intelligence, the whole set of studies becomes more efficient as the diagnostic rate increases. Unlike doctors, these algorithms do not get tired, so conducting a large array of studies does not compromise the quality. The use of artificial intelligence helps reduce the time – as a rule, it takes less than 6 minutes to interpret an image. As a result, the use of artificial intelligence also implies economic efficiency,” emphasized the minister.
According to Mikhail Murashko, the large amount of processed data opens up the prospect for new diagnostic capabilities. At the same time, routine clinical studies are enriched with new data. The use of artificial intelligence makes it possible to effectively plan treatment, which is especially relevant for the treatment of cancer patients.
“To date, there are already 21 artificial intelligence software products registered as medical products in our country. Five of them are under registration. We are now integrating our information systems into a single state information system,” said the Russian minister.
The strategy session was attended by health officials from the regions, leading developers of artificial intelligence software, heads of research institutions and representatives of the Ministry of Health who act as coordinators in this area. There were presentations on the practical experience in using artificial intelligence technologies in the Russian regions, followed by a discussion of legal and organizational aspects related to the registration of AI-enabled medical devices and control of their use. Also, the specialists discussed the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions as part of the federal projects on the creation of a unified digital circuit and on artificial intelligence.
Summing up the results of the strategy session, the Minister of Health highlighted that the joint discussion made it possible to outline measures that are necessary to introduce AI technologies in healthcare, thereby getting closer to the main goals – ensuring the quality and accessibility of medical care.
As part of the event, the guests toured the Centre and visited its departments.