Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Big Data into Smart Healthcare Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Current Practices and Future Directions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled both the vulnerabilities and resilience of global healthcare systems, sparking a surge in innovation, including the accelerated adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the incorporation of these technologies within the advancement of contemporary, intelligent healthcare systems, with a keen focus on their potential to transform health management globally. This study explores the roles of AI and big data in bolstering the adaptability, efficiency, and productivity of healthcare services while also empowering individuals with actionable insights for enhanced health outcomes. Besides identifying key opportunities for AI and big data synergies within smart medical systems - encompassing disease detection and prevention, personalized medicine, resource allocation, and healthcare accessibility - this study delve into the critical ethical considerations accompanying their use. These include the essential principles of explainability, trustworthiness, privacy, security, and healthcare equity. Emphasis is placed on the importance of transparent, accountable, and ethically robust implementation strategies to ensure the responsible deployment of these technologies. Furthermore, the inherent privacy and security challenges associated with big data and AI in healthcare are addressed, detailing potential risks such as data breaches, data misuse, and patient confidentiality threats. Also, this study highlights the significance of incorporating privacy-preserving techniques, such as differential privacy and federated learning, in AI and big data analytics. This paper proposes a forward-looking paradigm for embedding AI and big data analytics within the core infrastructure of smart healthcare systems, outlining best practices and providing recommendations to leverage their transformative potential effectively and ethically. The insights and findings offered aim to guide future research, policy, and implementation efforts focused on harnessing the power of AI and big data to enhance global health resilience, stimulate innovation, and drive constructive change within the realm of intelligent medical facilities.