In conversation with AEHRC's Dr David Hansen

Of all the innovations across CSIRO’s digital health portfolio, there is one which stands out to Dr David Hansen, CEO of CSIRO’s Australian e-health research centre (AEHRC), when picturing our technology-led future.

“Artificial intelligence,” he told Hospital + Healthcare in a heartbeat.

“Of course, it’s been around for decades now, but we are finally at the point where it’s crossing the invisible line between something peripheral that only nerds (like myself) are interested in, to something which appeals to people without a technical background.

“The opportunities are flowing and we are on the cusp of something great with it.”

Improving health

Hansen, of all people, would know, having just overseen the new ‘AI trends in healthcare report’.

The report shines a spotlight on CSIRO’s health AI research portfolio and foretells the impact AI will make on the health of Australians.

“One of the things we are most excited about is how our AI research is making a difference in healthcare and medical research, including dementia — Australia’s second leading cause of death.

“For example, one of our teams is solving the problem of the torrents of data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease which, until now, has been hard to bring together and draw meaningful conclusions from — as it comes from different cognitive tests and scales.

“Thanks to my colleague Rosita Shishegar and her team, we have harmonised this data using an AI-based method and created the largest dataset of Alzheimer’s disease in the world.

“This will help us make accurate predictions about a disease that has been notoriously hard to understand.”

Reducing burnout

The AI Trends in Healthcare report also gives hope to clinicians who may be facing burnout from overwork.

In recent years, a surge in demand for healthcare services, along with acute workforce shortages, have place added burden on clinicians, who are 9% more likely to suffer burnout than the general population.

“We think we can use AI to ease the administrative burden for clinicians and help them work at the top of their profession.

“It will relieve them of tasks they likely find repetitive and stressful, like processing large amounts of data, and leave them with more meaningful tasks which they excel at — like connection and holistic thinking.

“Ultimately, it will help them get more joy and pride from their work.”

Abating public concern

Hansen’s optimism around AI may be warranted, but it appears to contrast public opinion.

A survey conducted this year found that 80% of Australians are concerned about catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems, and believe these risks are on par with pandemics and nuclear war.

Among the fears around its use in health care are inaccurate diagnoses and treatments, and heightened privacy risks.

For clinicians, there are also concerns around the lack of compatibility between different AI-based technologies, which can interfere with workflow.

Hansen said these concerns are on his radar, but believes many are fading as the technology advances. As lead of Australia’s national digital health research program, his job is to ensure tools being developed at AEHRC are fit for purpose.

“It’s up to us to make sure AI is high quality, ethical and meeting the requirements of the healthcare system — including the needs of both patients and clinicians.

“Thankfully, we are in a position now where we have enough data and cloud computing power that we can do machine learning with meaningful impact. And by that I mean supporting clinicians to make even more well-informed decisions more efficiently or give really accurate predictions.

“Many of the risks people are concerned about are diminishing year by year.”

Staying at the forefront

While Hansen admits AI is far from reaching its potential in health care, he said his team is working tirelessly to ensure it does.

At times, this has meant long hours and restless nights.

“We have some big projects with big deliverables for federal and state agencies. Meeting those, whilst keeping abreast with the pace of change, and staying at the forefront of digital health research, is no small task. But it’s one we are deeply committed to.”

Despite more than two decades in his profession, Hansen consistently credits his team for CSIRO’s world-class research portfolio and track record in delivering value. According to a recent analysis, every $1 invested in CSIRO generates at least $8.40 in value for the country.

“I work with some incredible scientists and if I had to pinpoint one success factor, it would be them. We all care profoundly about our work and share a vision for a technology-enabled healthcare system.”

Alongside project deliverables, a key measure of success for Hansen will be when public optimism around AI replaces scepticism.

“An AI-based healthcare system that everyday Australians are comfortable to embrace will be the ultimate legacy,” he concluded.

Image credit: iStock.com/dem10