DD’s conversation with our two Coding and AI experts continues…
Dr. Zuhairi Mohd Zainuddin is a Psychiatric Medical Officer and a trainee Psychiatrist based at Hospital UiTM, Dr Edre Mohammad Aidid is a public health physician and epidemiologist at IIUM with experience in communicable diseases epidemiology and digital health. He specializes in epidemiologic studies, geographical information systems, and statistical analysis, with a particular interest in machine learning (ML) techniques and clinical decision support systems in healthcare.
Both men have a shared history and it looks like they have a shared future as well. Both these doctors were once undergraduates at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and in 2011 were House Officers together.
But upon becoming Medical Officers and the busyness that comes with it, they lost contact with one another. They reconnected during the COVID 19 pandemic when both realized their passion for coding and making a difference with this knowledge and skill in healthcare. Together, both men have been impacting healthcare in profound ways and the lives of doctors are being radically transformed because of their efforts.
We asked these doctor friends how AI and ML could personally benefit the doctors themselves. Let’s face it, when we embark on something, it’s always because of personal benefits – “What’s in it for me?” Read what both doctors had to say:
DD: How does AI & Machine Learning Directly Benefit the Doctors Themselves?
Dr. Zuhairi: [AI and Machine Learning] can be used very specifically to meet your needs depending on your role in healthcare. For example, if you are a busy clinician, AI can help you prioritize which patients you need to attend to first. If you hold an administrative role, AI can help you with delegating the workload and organizing your data for you… You will save time, reduce your workload, and reduce work stress! This is in addition to opening more career possibilities and income opportunities for yourself.
If you know Data Science Algorithms (DSA), you can build programs. It’s very important for doctors to learn these things before delving into AI and Machine Learning. It’s going to be a significant boost for those who come to the Workshop. A real game-changer for those who are truly interested in learning from us.
Dr. Edre: Those who embrace technology are embracing the future of healthcare. If you don’t keep up with the ever-evolving technology, you will always be a follower or a servant and not a leader, following an existing trend. Leaders spearhead change and innovation.
You will just be a follower because you will not be able to understand what AI is about. You will leave the decisions in the hands of the IT experts, which in fact will require some sort of governance in healthcare. The best way to benefit patients and the community is for doctors to utilize and extrapolate the data themselves to arrive at the most accurate decisions or outcomes for the patients.
