Hoogendoorn's research from the VU Campus Center for AI & Health shows why the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare lags behind expectations and how this can be remedied. By systematically mapping the gap between research and practice, the researchers present new insights crucial for the future deployment of AI in hospitals, GP practices and other healthcare environments.
Podcast
The podcast explores the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) within health context and stress research. In the episode titled 'Behind the scenes of AI and Machine Learning in the health context with Mark Hoogendoorn', we discuss how artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming health research and practice. By analysing information from electronic patient records, for example, AI can discover patterns beyond what humans can perceive. Hoogendoorn: "Not to replace the health expert, but to help the health expert treat patients better or better prevent complaints from arising."
Within mental health, machine learning focuses more on prediction than explanation, due to complex causality. While acknowledging the hype, Hoogendoorn stresses that AI is capable of processing huge and complex data sets. He discusses how this method of analysis can be applied in healthcare and the challenges associated with all this data (such as noise and explainability).
The podcast also discusses data coming from wearables. First, Hoogendoorn reflects on wearables used by consumers. When it comes to personal data tracking, he emphasises that valuable insights can emerge even without explicit self-quantification. Next, wearables are discussed within the research context. In the Stress in Action project, several consumer- and research-oriented wearables are being validated. As research moves from the lab to realistic environments, AI becomes crucial for interpreting richer but noisier data and paves the way for more personalised and effective stress science.
Stress in Action - about the project
Stress in Action is a research project in which seven Dutch universities including VU Amsterdam and UMCs are collaborating on stress research for 10 years. Stress is complex and multifaceted, and we all experience it in our daily lives. Using new measurement technologies and analyses, the consortium aims to map emotional, cognitive, biological and behavioural stress responses.
Stress in Action received the Gravitation Grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). In 2023, Stress in Action began building the consortium and launching research to realise its ambitious goals over the next 10 years. Currently, more than 100 consortium members are working on various themes and projects. In large-scale population studies, we are investigating which environmental and personal factors influence stress and how stress can lead to mental and cardiometabolic disorders. With this new knowledge, methods are being developed to monitor and reduce stress in daily life, thus preventing the onset of stress-related diseases.
Source: Stress in Action