Innovation

Intelligent physiology

A research unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town is harnessing AI and deep learning to improve outcomes in clinical practice.

25 October 2019

Consultant surgeon, head of graduate surgical research, and senior lecturer Dr Juan Klopper (pictured) runs a research unit that concentrates on the use of AI in clinical practice to change the outcomes of patient care and clinician capability at Groote Schuur Hospital in the Western Cape. His unit is dedicated to using local data sets in the creation of deep learning and AI-powered solutions to avoid bias and ensure that the developing world benefits from the potential of these emergent technologies within the medical field.

“Deep learning is a type of machine learning, itself a form of AI, that has recently started to dominate the field,” says Klopper. “It has made headway in the field of diagnostic medicine and is slowly starting to show promise in clinical healthcare. While we don’t have the infrastructure in the Western Cape Department of Health to incorporate it, we do actively pursue research in AI and use it within the academic environment of research.”

ITWeb Premium

Get 3 months of unlimited access
No credit card. No obligation.

Already a subscriber Log in