Covid-19 is boosting the use of AI triage in emergency rooms

Healthcare systems have adopted artificial intelligence in fits and starts. For years, emergency rooms have haltingly tested AI systems that collect information on patients' symptoms and medical histories, weigh it against data about similar cases, and make recommendations about who should be rushed in for treatment first. Doctors see the potential, but are wary of algorithms that don't have years of medical training. But the risk of Covid-19 transmission in ERs, along with shortages of staff and resources, have left some hospitals with no choice. The pandemic has dramatically accelerated the use of AI triage.