Machine Algorithm Support in Lieu of a Doctor

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There's an age gradient, but it is intimidating because a lot of patients feel like if they question and get second opinions, they're going to somehow get a lesser form of care. In a normal world, a doctor would find it useful marketing to tell his or her patients that the doctor goes and gets a second opinion for you. Older people are generally used to paternalism and they're not going to question it. And that's where, again, this machine algorithm support in lieu of a doctor can help bring us to a higher plane of accuracy.

Cardiologist and author Eric Topol talks about his book Deep Medicine with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Topol argues that doctors spend too little face-to-face time with patients, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is a chance to emphasize the human side of medicine and to expand the power of human connection in healing. Topol surveys the current landscape of the application of technology to health care showing where its promise has been overstated and where it is having the most impact. The conversation includes a discussion of the placebo effect and the importance of the human touch in medicine.