*BEIJING – Qu Jianguo, 64, had a futuristic medical visit in Shanghai as heput his wrist through an automated pulse-taking machine and received theresult within two minutes on a mobile phone — without a doctor present.*
The small device, which has a half-open clasp that records the heartbeat,is one of the technologies developed by hi-tech firms aiming to help Chinaoffset its shortage of physicians by combining big data and artificialintelligence (AI).
The machine made by Ping An Good Doctor was shown off at the 2018 World AIExpo in Shanghai at a time when Chinese policymakers are making a majorpush to turn the country into a global tech leader.
“I came here to see how Chinese-style medical treatment could be donewithout a doctor. That would be really convenient,” said Qu, a retired ITworker attending the expo.
China had less than 12 million health workers in 2017 in a population ofalmost 1.4 billion, according to the National Health Commission.
Ping An Good Doctor, which recently listed in Hong Kong, has one of China’slargest online healthcare platforms with 228 million registered patients.
Bi Ge, a company spokesman, said the company receives 500,000 onlineconsultation requests daily.
The pulse-taking machine is part of Ping An Good Doctor’s AI-assistedmedical consultation system, which allows patients to do quick preliminarychecks and get prescriptions without having to go to the hospital orpharmacy.
Ping An’s services include a mobile app in which patients enter theirpersonal data, medical history and describe their symptoms to anAI-assisted “receptionist” that transfers the information to a real-lifedoctor for a diagnosis.
“It can definitely ease China’s doctor shortage problem… With theassistance of AI, it can relieve doctors from doing the mundane, simple,and repetitive work,” said Liu Kang, a former doctor at Peking UnionMedical College Hospital.
“But China’s overall AI development in medical fields is still at thecatching-up phase,” Liu added.
*‘Still **need real doctor’ *
US and European companies, startups and researchers have also beenharnessing AI to apply the technology to various health care needs.
Chinese companies have been learning from other countries to develop andimplement AI-assisted care such as medical imaging diagnosis, robotsurgical systems, and drug research and development.
Good doctors in China are highly sought-after, but the supply is low andnot equally distributed.
Less than 10 percent of China’s hospitals are considered high-levelfacilities, but they treat half of the country’s patients, according to a2017 State Information Center report.
Big data and AI-assisted services and remote communication offered bycompanies such as Ping An allow patients from second- and third-tier citiesto access professional advice from qualified doctors based in big cities.
“We are imitating and duplicating the skills of qualified doctors, the onesfrom tertiary-level (highest-level) hospitals, and spread it to smallercities and local counties,” said Fang Qu, CTO of Proxima, a health caretechnology company focusing on AI-assisted medical imaging diagnosis.
Traditional Chinese methods of medical assessment — including pulse taking,which Qu experienced at the AI expo — are still popular among the elderly,although some might prefer a more human touch.
“It doesn’t feel the same as a doctor yet. I also don’t understand what theresult means,” said Qu. “I’d still need a real doctor.” – APP/AFP