Should The Use of Machine Learning in Healthcare Be Embraced or Met With Skepticism?

Natural language processing (NLP) of unstructured free-text content, such as that found in electronic health record (EHR) clinical notes, used to diagnose disease. NLP of observational data may be more insightful than review of medical diagnoses codes like those found in ICD-9 and CPT. Machine learning algorithms to identify patients eligible for clinical trials through review of historical EHR data. This could improve patient suitability for and outcome from the clinical trial. This could inform post-surgery treatment and medication plans.