|
Radiologists are increasingly turning to technology to combat fatigue and burnout. These two major factors leading to diagnostic errors have come about with increasing imaging studies and demand for rapid interpretation placing considerable pressure on radiologists.
Allison Garza, CEO, Spark Radiology said that India faces a critical shortage of radiologists, with approximately one radiologist for every 100,000 people, compared to a ratio of 1:10,000 in many western countries. This shortage, combined with the growing demand for diagnostic imaging driven by improved healthcare access, places radiologists at significant risk of fatigue and burnout leading to compromised patient care.
While delayed or missed diagnosis are always the biggest risks. With rise in cardiovascular diseases and various cancers across the country, early detection is vital for improving long-term health outcomes. Unfortunately, the existing strain on radiology services limits our ability to prioritize and implement widespread preventive screening efforts. As a result, many early-stage diseases go undetected until they progress to more severe stages. Addressing radiologist fatigue is therefore not only crucial to maintain current standards of patient care today but also to gradually strengthen early detection efforts and improve healthcare outcomes in India over time, Garza told Pharmabiz in an email.
Today’s radiology workflow is often fragmented, requiring radiologists to constantly switch between reviewing diagnostic images and managing the reporting process. This back-and-forth increases cognitive load, increasing the risk of missing subtle findings or introducing errors into reports due to divided attention.
It is here SPARKai is designed to address this critical gap by streamlining the diagnostic workflow. We believe radiology is about reaching the key clinical decision and diagnosis for the patient, where radiologists should be able to dedicate their full focus. SPARKai enables a new, integrated workflow that keeps radiologists cantered on the diagnosis rather than documentation. By acting as an intelligent assistant, the platform helps catch minor errors, enhances overall diagnostic accuracy, and automates repetitive, non-clinical tasks that do not add direct value to patient care. This transformation not only improves the quality of diagnostic outputs but also significantly enhances the daily experience for radiologists, allowing them to work more efficiently to better meet the growing demands of diagnostic imaging, he said.
Since 2019, there is a visible shift in the openness toward AI adoption in radiology. Early on, there was significant hesitation, largely driven by concerns that AI might replace radiologists altogether. However, two key shifts have transformed this outlook. First, the growing recognition that AI is an enabler rather than a replacer; and second, the sheer increase in diagnostic demand, which has made AI adoption not just beneficial, but necessary. Despite this progress, India still lags behind other countries in terms of widespread AI adoption in healthcare, he noted.
A major barrier is that many AI technologies remain cost-prohibitive for the Indian market. This highlights the urgent need for ‘In India, For India’ solutions specifically designed with the local healthcare ecosystem’s needs and price sensitivity in mind. By developing AI platforms tailored to India’s unique challenges, we can create sustainable, accessible solutions that drive wider acceptance. With such market-aligned innovations, AI adoption in Indian healthcare will only continue to accelerate in the coming years, said Garza.
|