"Ambient intelligence" could transform hospitals and enhance patient care

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been tapped to revolutionize operations across industries. Researchers are using algorithms to more aptly predict wildfires across the western US. Earlier this year, an AI system identified an existing rheumatoid arthritis medication that could be repurposed to treat COVID-19 patients. In a recent paper, researchers illustrate various ways these technologies could be used to enhance patient care in the hospitals of tomorrow. "We have the ability to build technologies into the physical spaces where health care is delivered to help cut the rate of fatal errors that occur today due to the sheer volume of patients and the complexity of their care," said Arnold Milstein, a professor of medicine and director of Stanford's Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC) in a Stanford report.