The Skychain platform, self-described as a blockchain infrastructure aimed to host, train and use artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, has announced its to launch its diagnostic system within weeks.
The company believes that the new alpha version of its infrastructure can identify conditions in patients and prescribe appropriate treatments in milliseconds, substantially reducing the risk of human error during the crucial diagnosis stage, Cointelegraph reports.
The beta version, Skychain estimates, will be released in December with an official launch by summer of 2019, although the company claim that early participants, including hospitals, medical AI developers, and healthcare data providers will have access to a “fully built” ecosystem by June.
Skychain’s aim is to eliminate human medical errors, claiming that this is now the third most common cause of death in the US. The company suggests that are numerous cases of misdiagnosis due to X-ray analysis, citing a study which has recorded that human error causes 250,00 premature deaths each year. According to the company, when doctors analyze X-ray lung images, they fail to diagnose early lung cancer in as much as 69% of cases.
Cointelegraph reveals Skychain assertions that the technology is more effective at diagnosing skin, lung and cardiovascular diseases than some highly experienced doctors. The company claims that its system identifies conditions in an average of 0.1 seconds, compared to the 20-30 seconds that doctors need to make their conclusion.
Skychain spoke of the effect of fatigue on medical practitioners; one of the problems the AI system is designed to combat:
“In real life, medical professionals may get tired or be in low spirits; they may also lack the necessary experience, specialize in a different area, or be biased… Each of these factors can have a negative impact on the accuracy of a diagnosis. Moreover, a machine learning system can easily analyze a poorly structured medical history or wade through large amounts of data.”
Figures published by Healthcare Financial Management Association estimate that in 2016 alone, misdiagnosis cost the US economy a massive USD 20.8 billion. Skychain’s mission is to save 10 million patients from premature death due to medical errors within 10 years.
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