Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence: Advancing Healthcare Provision in Latin America

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown enormous potential for transforming healthcare delivery and accessibility in low- and middle-income countries such as those in Latin America, which are among the least equitable regions of the world. While healthcare analytics is already a global trend, in Latin America, it is gaining relevance given its demographic and socio-economic specificity and its particular healthcare systems. Hence, we first explore the linkage between the concepts of AI and digital health. Second, we analyze various types of AI technology in the healthcare sector, and finally, we discuss AI health-related services in Latin American countries and classify them according to applications and digital health interventions. We highlight pertinent issues of privacy and transparency in the use of patient data and records, as well as the technological and regulatory difficulties Latin American countries encounter in implementing AI-based services in the healthcare sector, a provision that also contributes to advancing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. © 1999-2012 IEEE.