WASHINGTON – A newly developed artificial intelligence (AI) tool that mimics the step-by-step diagnostic process of human doctors outperformed general physicians by more than double in accurately solving complex medical cases.
According to a landmark study published in Science on Thursday, the model outperformed human doctors across a wide range of challenging diagnoses, Reuters reported.
The model, developed by Microsoft researchers, utilizes a specialized “orchestrator” system that coordinates patient inquiries, physical examination findings, and targeted clinical testing through a simulated panel of collaborating medical experts.
Unlike traditional medical AI models that examines all of a patient’s symptoms, lab results and imaging studies to generate a diagnosis, the new orchestrator approach dynamically evaluates medical history, orders appropriate tests sequentially, and continuously updates working hypotheses as new findings emerge.
When tested against more than 300 highly unusual medical dilemmas, the system achieved more than twice the diagnostic accuracy of human general physicians equipped with textbooks and internet access, while also outperforming doctors in emergency room admission scenarios.
“AI has become very good at getting a 100 per cent pass rate on those (multiple-choice assessments). But of course, that’s not real-world. No patient ever came to see me with a nice summary,” said Dr. Dominic King, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft AI’s health unit.
Researchers noted that the orchestrator system not only improved accuracy but also significantly reduced diagnostic costs compared to traditional physician-led assessments by avoiding unnecessary procedures.
“We’re not just measuring the accuracy of the systems. We’re also measuring how judiciously and carefully it goes through a diagnostic work-up,” said Harsha Nori, Head of AI at Microsoft AI Health.
The research team plans to evaluate the technology’s real-world application next by triaging waiting room patients in a clinical trial collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.-MalayaDailyToday
