New hospital computer 'can predict death'

Via home.bt.com by Jamie Harris

A supercomputer capable of detecting whether a patient will die in hospital has been developed in Boston.

Doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center claim results generated by the machine are accurate: “We can predict with almost a 96% confidence that these patients will have this probability of dying – so, the computer says you’re gonna die, you’re probably going to die in the next 30 days,” project leader Dr Steven Horng told BBC News.

The supercomputer uses artificial intelligence to determine your fate in hospital, but also to work out conditions before the doctor has even diagnosed them.


Every three minutes the machine monitors the patient, measuring and collecting data on everything from oxygen levels to their blood pressure.

The system also gathers data on their medical history and all the medication they’ve taken which are compared with more than 250,000 people’s medical data from the last 30 years. Doctors believe this should help identify the quickest possible diagnosis, thereby speeding up treatment.

On the surface, the technology appears to pose a threat to human jobs but Horng argues that the supercomputer will actually help doctors perform their work better.

“Our goal is not to replace the clinician,” he explained. “This artificial intelligence is really about augmenting a doctor’s ability to take care of patients.”

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has previously used similar medical tech innovations using Google Glass to look through patient records.

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