Editor’s note: ACR on Air, the official podcast of the ACR, dives into topics important to the rheumatology community, such as the latest research, solutions for practice management issues, legislative policies, patient care and more. Twice a month, host Jonathan Hausmann, MD, a pediatric and adult rheumatologist in Boston, interviews healthcare professionals and clinicians on the rheumatology front lines. In a series for The Rheumatologist, we provide highlights from these relevant conversations. Listen to the podcast online at acronair.org, or download and subscribe to ACR on Air wherever you get your podcasts. Here we highlight episode 80, “AI in Rheumatology,” which aired on July 2, 2024.
Just like other areas of medicine, rheumatology will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency and better patient outcomes. However, there will still be room for the human touch, even if AI may affect some currently available jobs.
That was one of many AI observations shared by Suleman Bhana, MD, a board-certified rheumatologist in northern New Jersey who currently works for Pfizer Medical Affairs, in his conversation with Dr. Hausmann on an episode of ACR on Air.
Dr. Bhana noted there’s excitement around using AI for better diagnostics, disease prediction and patient management. At the same time, “nothing moves in the world without funding,” he said. Much of the funding for AI efforts comes from venture capital investors looking to profit from the system.
Dr. Bhana
“I think we want to be very cognizant that there are two different sides of this coin. Hopefully, it’s the side for patients and the people that take care of them is the side that wins, but we should always look at the other side of the coin, too,” he said.
During the podcast, Dr. Bhana focused on several areas in which AI is or will be used within rheumatology.
Diagnostics & Early Detection
The use of AI to evaluate images in radiology and oncology is already happening. There is some emerging research regarding AI and imaging for inflammatory arthritis, sacroiliac joint imaging for spondylarthritis and other areas of rheumatology, Dr. Bhana said.
“The idea for rheumatology is that AI can evaluate an X-ray of the hand and say, ‘This patient has osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis or gout or psoriatic arthritis’ without a radiologist’s involvement,” Dr. Hausmann said.
Workplace Shortages
As the shortage of rheumatologists continues, especially in rural areas, AI may provide a remedy. Dr. Bhana gave the example of a patient who needs monitoring and may be able to go to a location where smartphone images can be taken—or they may be able take those images themselves under the right lighting and upload them online. An AI model could provide feedback about the person’s rheumatic condition.
