The Importance of Data-Centric Medicine

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Patients see the doctor as a shame and godlike figure who's going to save us. We don't really want to be on a first-time basis with you, he says. The key is we got to get this thing democratized because if patients take more charge, that's going to make life better for everybody.

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.