The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM Corporation are joining together to conduct a two-year pilot that will assess clinical decision support through the use of Watson technology.
VA will use Watson to assess how the technology may accelerate evidence-based clinical decisions. VA aims to use Watson, which famously was created and used on Jeopardy! to show its artificial intelligence capabilities, to process copious amounts of data and help physicians better uncover trends and insights. VA will evaluate the system in simulated pre-visit, visit, and post-visit situations where physicians will conduct technical, functional and usability assessments. According to IBM, Watson will also be used with the VA for a clinical focus on veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Physicians can save valuable time finding the right information needed to care for their patients with this sophisticated and advanced technology,” Interim Under Secretary for Health Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., said in a statement. “A tool that can help a clinician quickly collect, combine, and present information will allow them to spend more time listening and interacting with the Veteran. This directly supports the patient-centric medicine VA is committed to delivering every day.”
In the past few years, IBM's Watson has collaborated with several big-named provider organizations for various collaborations including the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Cleveland Clinic, and MD Anderson.
Read the source article at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
