When AI Becomes a 'Companion' in Patient Care Journeys
The healthcare sector is undergoing significant transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) integrates into various stages of patient care.
Summarised from Forbes’ article ‘AI And The Continuum Of Care’ by John Werner dated 25 May 2026, AI is no longer confined to operating rooms or laboratories but is emerging as a ‘companion’ accompanying patients throughout their care journey, from early detection and diagnosis to treatment and post-care monitoring at home.
A key concept highlighted is AI’s ability to continuously collect clinical data from patients at home, track symptom progression, and process it via machine learning to provide early warnings before health issues escalate.
This approach, known as continuum of care, sees AI acting as a connector to ensure no information gaps across each phase of patient management.
At the April 2026 Imagination in Action event, experts discussed challenges in implementing AI in healthcare.
Eric Rosenthal of MGB NeuroAI Center revealed that many AI models deployed in healthcare facilities are not functioning optimally despite often being touted as successful in academic publications.
Gokul Radhakrishnan of Eli Lilly noted the positive aspect of the FDA’s openness to transparent ‘glass box’ AI systems rather than opaque ‘black boxes’, but warned of significant risks when data must reach doctors in time for treatment decisions.
Brad Reimer, CIO of Sanford Health, highlighted cybersecurity threats and the lack of fundamental change in electronic medical record ecosystems over two decades.
Sufian Chowdhury, CEO of Kinetik, added that AI relying on subjective data could produce dangerous outputs.
Panellists agreed that governments lack sufficient capacity to keep pace with AI’s rapid development, making public-private partnerships an urgent necessity.
However, regulation cannot be forced on technologies not yet fully understood, as doctors ultimately remain responsible for patient safety.
On the positive side, technologies like Scribe AI allow doctors to focus less on computer screens during patient consultations.