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Muralidharan V, Schamroth J, Youssef A, Celi LA, Daneshjou R. Applied artificial intelligence for global child health: Addressing biases and barriers. PLOS DIGITAL HEALTH 2024; 3:e0000583. [PMID: 39172772 PMCID: PMC11340888 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Given the potential benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) within healthcare, it is critical to consider how these technologies can be deployed in pediatric research and practice. Currently, healthcare AI/ML has not yet adapted to the specific technical considerations related to pediatric data nor adequately addressed the specific vulnerabilities of children and young people (CYP) in relation to AI. While the greatest burden of disease in CYP is firmly concentrated in lower and middle-income countries (LMICs), existing applied pediatric AI/ML efforts are concentrated in a small number of high-income countries (HICs). In LMICs, use-cases remain primarily in the proof-of-concept stage. This narrative review identifies a number of intersecting challenges that pose barriers to effective AI/ML for CYP globally and explores the shifts needed to make progress across multiple domains. Child-specific technical considerations throughout the AI/ML lifecycle have been largely overlooked thus far, yet these can be critical to model effectiveness. Governance concerns are paramount, with suitable national and international frameworks and guidance required to enable the safe and responsible deployment of advanced technologies impacting the care of CYP and using their data. An ambitious vision for child health demands that the potential benefits of AI/Ml are realized universally through greater international collaboration, capacity building, strong oversight, and ultimately diffusing the AI/ML locus of power to empower researchers and clinicians globally. In order that AI/ML systems that do not exacerbate inequalities in pediatric care, teams researching and developing these technologies in LMICs must ensure that AI/ML research is inclusive of the needs and concerns of CYP and their caregivers. A broad, interdisciplinary, and human-centered approach to AI/ML is essential for developing tools for healthcare workers delivering care, such that the creation and deployment of ML is grounded in local systems, cultures, and clinical practice. Decisions to invest in developing and testing pediatric AI/ML in resource-constrained settings must always be part of a broader evaluation of the overall needs of a healthcare system, considering the critical building blocks underpinning effective, sustainable, and cost-efficient healthcare delivery for CYP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijaytha Muralidharan
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Joel Schamroth
- Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alaa Youssef
- Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Leo A. Celi
- Laboratory for Computational Physiology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Roxana Daneshjou
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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Yang S, Li RY, Yan SN, Yang HY, Cao ZY, Zhang L, Xue JB, Xia ZG, Xia S, Zheng B. Risk assessment of imported malaria in China: a machine learning perspective. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:865. [PMID: 38509529 PMCID: PMC10956205 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17929-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following China's official designation as malaria-free country by WHO, the imported malaria has emerged as a significant determinant impacting the malaria reestablishment within China. The objective of this study is to explore the application prospects of machine learning algorithms in imported malaria risk assessment of China. METHODS The data of imported malaria cases in China from 2011 to 2019 was provided by China CDC; historical epidemic data of malaria endemic country was obtained from World Malaria Report, and the other data used in this study are open access data. All the data processing and model construction based on R, and map visualization used ArcGIS software. RESULTS A total of 27,088 malaria cases imported into China from 85 countries between 2011 and 2019. After data preprocessing and classification, clean dataset has 765 rows (85 * 9) and 11 cols. Six machine learning models was constructed based on the training set, and Random Forest model demonstrated the best performance in model evaluation. According to RF, the highest feature importance were the number of malaria deaths and Indigenous malaria cases. The RF model demonstrated high accuracy in forecasting risk for the year 2019, achieving commendable accuracy rate of 95.3%. This result aligns well with the observed outcomes, indicating the model's reliability in predicting risk levels. CONCLUSIONS Machine learning algorithms have reliable application prospects in risk assessment of imported malaria in China. This study provides a new methodological reference for the risk assessment and control strategies adjusting of imported malaria in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Yang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Ruo-Yang Li
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Shu-Ning Yan
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Han-Yin Yang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zi-You Cao
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Li Zhang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Jing-Bo Xue
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai, 200025, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zhi-Gui Xia
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Shang Xia
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai, 200025, China.
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Bin Zheng
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research); NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology; WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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O'Brien N, Li E, Chaibva CN, Gomez Bravo R, Kovacevic L, Kwame Ayisi-Boateng N, Lounsbury O, Nwabufo NFF, Senkyire EK, Serafini A, Surafel Abay E, van de Vijver S, Wanjala M, Wangari MC, Moosa S, Neves AL. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis of the Use of Digital Health Technologies in Primary Health Care in the Sub-Saharan African Region: Qualitative Study. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e45224. [PMID: 37676721 PMCID: PMC10514769 DOI: 10.2196/45224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Digital health technologies (DHTs) have become increasingly commonplace as a means of delivering primary care. While DHTs have been postulated to reduce inequalities, increase access, and strengthen health systems, how the implementation of DHTs has been realized in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) health care environment remains inadequately explored. OBJECTIVE This study aims to capture the multidisciplinary experiences of primary care professionals using DHTs to explore the strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats, regarding the implementation and use of DHTs in SSA primary care settings. METHODS A combination of qualitative approaches was adopted (ie, focus groups and semistructured interviews). Participants were recruited through the African Forum for Primary Care and researchers' contact networks using convenience sampling and included if having experience with digital technologies in primary health care in SSA. Focus and interviews were conducted, respectively, in November 2021 and January-March 2022. Topic guides were used to cover relevant topics in the interviews, using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats framework. Transcripts were compiled verbatim and systematically reviewed by 2 independent reviewers using framework analysis to identify emerging themes. The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was used to ensure the study met the recommended standards of qualitative data reporting. RESULTS A total of 33 participants participated in the study (n=13 and n=23 in the interviews and in focus groups, respectively; n=3 participants participated in both). The strengths of using DHTs ranged from improving access to care, supporting the continuity of care, and increasing care satisfaction and trust to greater collaboration, enabling safer decision-making, and hastening progress toward universal health coverage. Weaknesses included poor digital literacy, health inequalities, lack of human resources, inadequate training, lack of basic infrastructure and equipment, and poor coordination when implementing DHTs. DHTs were perceived as an opportunity to improve patient digital literacy, increase equity, promote more patient-centric design in upcoming DHTs, streamline expenditure, and provide a means to learn international best practices. Threats identified include the lack of buy-in from both patients and providers, insufficient human resources and local capacity, inadequate governmental support, overly restrictive regulations, and a lack of focus on cybersecurity and data protection. CONCLUSIONS The research highlights the complex challenges of implementing DHTs in the SSA context as a fast-moving health delivery modality, as well as the need for multistakeholder involvement. Future research should explore the nuances of these findings across different technologies and settings in the SSA region and implications on health and health care equity, capitalizing on mixed-methods research, including the use of real-world quantitative data to understand patient health needs. The promise of digital health will only be realized when informed by studies that incorporate patient perspective at every stage of the research cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki O'Brien
- Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edmond Li
- Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cynthia N Chaibva
- Department of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
- Africa Forum for Primary Health Care (AfroPHC), Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
| | - Raquel Gomez Bravo
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Rehaklinik, Centre Hospitalier Neuro-psychiatrie, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Lana Kovacevic
- Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- World Organisation of Family Doctors, Africa Region, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Olivia Lounsbury
- Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ngnedjou Francoise F Nwabufo
- Africa Forum for Primary Health Care, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Department of Health Sciences, Adventist University Cosendai, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Family Health and Development Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon
- One Health Network, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Ephraim Kumi Senkyire
- Africa Forum for Primary Health Care, Accra, Ghana
- GA West Municipal Hospital, Accra, Ghana
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- University of British Colombia, Okanagan, BC, Canada
| | - Alice Serafini
- Local Health Authority of Modena, Modena, Italy
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Eleleta Surafel Abay
- Department of Public Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Africa Forum for Primary Health Care, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Steven van de Vijver
- Department Family Medicine, OLVG Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Health & Technology Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mercy Wanjala
- Africa Forum for Primary Health Care, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Shabir Moosa
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Johannesburg Health District, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ana Luisa Neves
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Shenoy S, Rajan AK, Rashid M, Chandran VP, Poojari PG, Kunhikatta V, Acharya D, Nair S, Varma M, Thunga G. Artificial intelligence in differentiating tropical infections: A step ahead. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010455. [PMID: 35771774 PMCID: PMC9246149 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and objective Differentiating tropical infections are difficult due to its homogenous nature of clinical and laboratorial presentations among them. Sophisticated differential tests and prediction tools are better ways to tackle this issue. Here, we aimed to develop a clinician assisted decision making tool to differentiate the common tropical infections. Methodology A cross sectional study through 9 item self-administered questionnaire were performed to understand the need of developing a decision making tool and its parameters. The most significant differential parameters among the identified infections were measured through a retrospective study and decision tree was developed. Based on the parameters identified, a multinomial logistic regression model and a machine learning model were developed which could better differentiate the infection. Results A total of 40 physicians involved in the management of tropical infections were included for need analysis. Dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and scrub typhus were the common tropical infections in our settings. Sodium, total bilirubin, albumin, lymphocytes and platelets were the laboratory parameters; and abdominal pain, arthralgia, myalgia and urine output were the clinical presentation identified as better predictors. In multinomial logistic regression analysis with dengue as a reference revealed a predictability of 60.7%, 62.5% and 66% for dengue, malaria and leptospirosis, respectively, whereas, scrub typhus showed only 38% of predictability. The multi classification machine learning model observed to have an overall predictability of 55–60%, whereas a binary classification machine learning algorithms showed an average of 79–84% for one vs other and 69–88% for one vs one disease category. Conclusion This is a first of its kind study where both statistical and machine learning approaches were explored simultaneously for differentiating tropical infections. Machine learning techniques in healthcare sectors will aid in early detection and better patient care. Distinguishing tropical infections is difficult due to its homogeneous nature from clinical and laboratory presentations among them. This is a first of its kind study where both statistical and machine learning approaches were explored simultaneously for differentiating tropical infections. Dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and scrub typhus were the common tropical infections in our settings as per the need analysis. Better predictors in terms of laboratory parameters and clinical presentations were identified from retrospective analysis and used for the regression and machine learning models. The parameters such as accuracy, true positive rate/sensitivity/recall, false positive rate, precision/positive predictive value, F-measure and ROC area for both the training and validation sets (10-fold cross validation) for all modelling approaches and diseases (One vs One and One vs others) were calculated. All the models observed to have an acceptable range of model performance in differentiating tropical infections. Albumin can be considered as the main parameter in differentiating these tropical infections. These models should be implemented in daily clinical routine practice via mobile or desktop assisted applications or tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreelaxmi Shenoy
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Asha K. Rajan
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Muhammed Rashid
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Viji Pulikkel Chandran
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Pooja Gopal Poojari
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Vijayanarayana Kunhikatta
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Dinesh Acharya
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Sreedharan Nair
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Muralidhar Varma
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Girish Thunga
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
- * E-mail:
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Pang B, Wang Q, Yang M, Xue M, Zhang Y, Deng X, Zhang Z, Niu W. Identification and Optimization of Contributing Factors for Precocious Puberty by Machine/Deep Learning Methods in Chinese Girls. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:892005. [PMID: 35846287 PMCID: PMC9279618 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.892005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES As the worldwide secular trends are toward earlier puberty, identification of contributing factors for precocious puberty is critical. We aimed to identify and optimize contributing factors responsible for onset of precocious puberty via machine learning/deep learning algorithms in girls. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed among girls aged 6-16 years from 26 schools in Beijing based on a cluster sampling method. Information was gleaned online via questionnaires. Machine/deep learning algorithms were performed using Python language (v3.7.6) on PyCharm platform. RESULTS Of 11308 students enrolled, there are 5527 girls, and 408 of them had experienced precocious puberty. Training 13 machine learning algorithms revealed that gradient boosting machine (GBM) performed best in predicting precocious puberty. By comparison, six top factors including maternal age at menarche, paternal body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio, maternal BMI, screen time, and physical activity were sufficient in prediction performance, with accuracy of 0.9530, precision of 0.9818, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.7861. The performance of the top six factors was further validated by deep learning sequential model, with accuracy reaching 92.9%. CONCLUSIONS We identified six important factors from both parents and girls that can help predict the onset of precocious puberty among Chinese girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Pang
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qiong Wang
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Min Yang
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Xue
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yicheng Zhang
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangling Deng
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhixin Zhang
- International Medical Services, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Wenquan Niu, ; Zhixin Zhang,
| | - Wenquan Niu
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Wenquan Niu, ; Zhixin Zhang,
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