ASET Technology Alberta Summer 2020 - 17

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"I hope that this spirit of accelerated
implementation continues post-COVID-19,
that we won't go back to the way it was,"
Murphy says. "In a post-COVID-19 world
I don't believe patients will be willing to
accept traditional models of care."
Murphy says that without the inconveniences of a physical
trip, individuals "can have an equivalent patient experience
and information exchange with their caregivers, even
though it is performed virtually."
Summoogum echoes this sentiment. "I think the world has
changed. The way we care for the elderly has changed, as
well," he says.
"Traditionally a GP would insist for an elderly person to
come all the way to their practice to take the blood pressure
of that person and then send them back home. And during
the pandemic that was not possible, and doctors had to
change their approach."
Summoogum says another advantage to the remote
checkups is their volume. "The care providers, i.e., the
NHS, also noticed that doctors are able to see more
patients, because they are doing it remotely," He says.
"Going forward, the adoption of those kind of technologies
will rise, but also doctors would (sic) trust technology a bit
more, and the elderly will also now insist that the doctors
have access to their data remotely."
Panesar says one change he's noted compared with other
health situations in the past like SARS is the increased
maturity coming from mental health program delivery.

"I guess because of the fact that it is sort of a global
pandemic," he says, "you're finding that the tech response
is a lot more advanced than it's ever been. And as a result,
at least what I've seen here in the UK, [there] is the focus on
mental health in particular for those that are staying at home."
Panesar says this has led to more people using AI-based
technology such as chatbots to feel connected while stuck
at home. "From the perspective of mental health, there
literally seems to be tons of solutions, but also tons of
engagement as well," Panesar says.
Just like the way the technological advancements of the
space age came back down to earth with the astronauts and
rocketed into homes and businesses, the developments
built in response to the pandemic will spread their roots
into the future. The data that researchers have gained
while fighting the virus will undoubtedly be used in future
machine learning algorithms against future problems.
Like synthesizing a vaccine to COVID-19, however, these
changes won't happen overnight.
One reason for that is because, unlike commercial
applications for technology, when it comes to health, the
margin of error is infinitely smaller. Summoogum gives an
example of a user base of one million people relying on a
health innovation. If even a couple of those people are let
down by their system, it's unacceptable.
"From a data science point of view, that's ground-breaking if you
can do that. However, from the perspective of those two people
and their family, is that acceptable? Well, it's not," he says.
When the kinks of new technology systems are ironed out,
however, the results could be astonishing. Murphy points
to precision medicine using artificial intelligence/machine
learning as the way forward in healthcare.

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA | SUMMER 2020 | 17
ASET Technology Alberta Summer 2020

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