Advancements in AI Can Help End Global TB Crisis: Experts

With several companies around the world leveraging technology to successfully detect diseases, experts now claim that advancements in AI can help end the global TB crisis. In an article titled, ‘Discover how AI is being used to detect tuberculosis’, featured in the World Economic Forum, several field experts discuss how artificial intelligence assists in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, outsmarting all challenges. 

Being the second most fatal disease after COVID-19, Tuberculosis (TB) remains a threat to public health globally. According to WHO (World Health Organization), the pandemic could unravel years of progress in the fight against tuberculosis. 

As access to diagnostics were restricted during the lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic, around 4.1 million cases of TB went undiagnosed.

With the increasing growth of AI’s role in diagnostics, the medical fraternity can now access efficient clinical decision-making, medical image recognition, workflow streamlining via automation, among others. One such firm is healthtech startup Qure.ai, which has obtained FDA/CE clearances to highlight abnormalities in chest X-rays. 

Qure.ai teamed up with the Baran District Hospital in Rajasthan to begin the deployment and real-time testing of its AI-powered solution for chest X-rays. The firm claims that the integration into the diagnostic workflow positively impacted the clinical efficiencies. It further states, “There was a 33% increase in the notification rate and the number of drop-outs of presumptive cases reduced from 72% to 53%.”

Radiology has also embraced the use of AI-based solutions as the domain remains data-driven. Moreover, the overall diagnosis depends on the confirmation and the interpretation of the X-rays by trained radiologists. Qure.ai’s solution was deployed to alleviate issues and enhance existing tuberculosis systems.

The paper reads, “The use of AI tools for TB screening is a watershed moment. The Global TB report recommends increasing investments in tuberculosis research to drive technological breakthroughs and the rapid uptake of innovation. AI-based interventions are one lever to achieving this.” It further states that AI acts as a parallel diagnostic tool by automating select repetitive processes and augmenting the efforts of physicians. Artificial Intelligence claims to have endless potential to impact healthcare and benefit stakeholders—contributing to overall global health. 
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