{"id":123558,"date":"2021-10-12T10:45:45","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T14:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=123558"},"modified":"2022-02-21T11:08:04","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T16:08:04","slug":"new-ucf-project-will-explore-using-ai-to-improve-telehealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/new-ucf-project-will-explore-using-ai-to-improve-telehealth\/","title":{"rendered":"New UCF Project Will Explore Using AI to Improve Telehealth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Telehealth offers the convenience of remote consultations with healthcare professionals, which aids patients who live far from their physician\u2019s office or who may have trouble traveling. It\u2019s also become even more essential during the COVID-19 pandemic as a replacement for in-office visits to reduce crowded waiting rooms and allow more options for patients.<\/p>\n

However, not seeing a doctor face-to-face brings its own challenges, such as an increased likelihood of missing a symptom of an illness which can lead to a misdiagnosis, or finding ways to perform tests, such as a blood pressure check, remotely.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why University of Central Florida researchers are working on a new U.S. National Science Foundation-funded project to improve patient outcomes in telehealth medicine by using artificial intelligence<\/a> to improve healthcare training and diagnostic reasoning, so signs and symptoms are not missed during remote doctor visits.<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence could help, for example, doctors remember to check for signs that might be hard to see in a telehealth setting, such as a way a person walks or holds themselves.<\/p>\n

For the study, the researchers will look at how to best implement AI and new technologies into telehealth by observing doctor and patient communication in telehealth settings. This includes tracking physicians\u2019 and patients\u2019 biophysical responses such as eye movement, heart rate, and verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as recording the accuracy of physician diagnoses and any disruptions in the diagnostic reasoning process.<\/p>\n

The researchers will also work with physicians, psychologists, engineers, and industry leaders in artificial intelligence to make recommendations on what is possible in telehealth and what could be on the horizon, such as ways to remotely perform tests, such as blood pressure checks and more using AI-based immersive virtual environments.<\/p>\n

The ultimate goal is to use evidence collected from the project to provide recommendations for improving diagnostic reasoning in telehealth and offer ways immersive virtual technologies could improve the process.<\/p>\n