Public Health uses AI to warn of the dangers of fatal drug combinations
Thailand's Public Health Ministry develops AI system to detect fatal drug combinations, enhancing patient safety.
The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that it has successfully developed an Artificial Intelligence system to detect over 2,000 pairs of medicines that should not be prescribed together, as their combination could pose a life-threatening risk to patients.
Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry, said the ministry developed the AI Drug Interaction system to warn doctors against prescribing certain medicines together, as their combination may either increase or reduce effectiveness or, in some cases, could be fatal.
Opas explained that the AI system would work with databases of medical records in hospitals, as well as patients' records of drug allergies and other related information, to alert doctors when dangerous drug combinations are identified.
When the AI system detects harmful combinations, it will issue warnings to the doctors in charge of the cases.
For example, the AI system would warn doctors against prescribing Simvastatin, a drug for reducing blood fat, together with Ritonavir, an anti-viral drug, as their combination could harm muscular strength.
Opas added that the AI system would make it safer for doctors to prescribe medications for patients, particularly those who may have to visit multiple doctors separately.
The AI Drug Interaction system was test-run in 25 hospitals under the ministry in May and has been successfully implemented in 11 of them.
Out of 89,575 items of medicine, the AI detected 2,384 pairs of combinations, including:
- 1,343 pairs that cannot be used together at all
- 1,781 pairs whose combination could be fatal
- 3 pairs with little impact and may be allowed for use.
Opas stated that the system would be expanded to cover all central, general, and community hospitals of the Public Health Ministry by September this year.
