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Watson's analytics could greatly help doctors diagnosis patients

As I mentioned Tuesday, IBM’s Watson was certainly a topic of conversation at HIMSS11 this week. Beyond the Watson demonstration in the IBM Booth, as I wandered the show floor and talked to attendees, they asked about Watson. Watson was also an MDchat topic earlier this week.

So what does Watson actually mean for healthcare?

Watson provides a new level of man-machine collaboration. Much like an autopilot, it still leaves the most critical and detail oriented tasks such as handling takeoff, landing and unexpected events to the pilot. This type of supporting relationship for the caregiver is aimed at empowering and assisting them, not replacing or encroaching on their decision-making power.

Watson's analytics capabilities will provide answers and supporting evidence so that decision makers, like physicians, can make educated decisions.

Imagine having the ability to take in not just Electronic Medical Records but all the information around a patient's case – symptoms, findings, physician notes, patient interviews, family history.

But then go one step farther and use Watson analytics technology to consider all the texts, reference materials, prior cases – all the latest knowledge in journals and medical literature – to propose a differential diagnosis. This diagnosis is backed by links to critical nuggets of evidence from all considered sources, ranked and organized.

The analytical computer will engage the professional in a collaborative dialog to help determine the most likely diagnosis and treatment options.

In this video, Chalapathy Neti, Director, Healthcare Transformation, IBM Research talks about the analytics behind the Watson system, the future implications it holds for the healthcare industry, and how analytics is transforming the healthcare industry at large.

What do you think? What other applications of Watson can you see, whether in healthcare or another industry?