As a pain management specialist and head of North American Pain and Spine, Dr. Kieran Slevin is keeping a close eye on artificial intelligence (AI), a tool not only with myriad applications across the healthcare landscape but one rapidly proving invaluable in delivering optimum patient care levels. Of particular interest to Dr. Slevin are the significant strides AI has made in the areas of pain detection and subsequent pain management.

Dr. Slevin is a board-certified interventional spine specialist from Pennsylvania. The physician co-founded one of the tri-state area's leading spine and pain care providers. The doctor is a recognized thought leader in innovative healthcare models and a global authority on interventional spine care and pain management.

Dr. Slevin is keen to demonstrate AI's potential in significantly benefiting pain detection, management, and overall patient care, both now and in the future. Below, Dr. Slevin offers a closer look at the field and what healthcare professionals and patients can expect in the coming years.

AI and the Future of Pain Management

Artificial intelligence is now widespread in all areas of life. However, there are several key areas where the technology is proving truly transformative – including medicine. AI usage has exploded within the medical sector in recent years. Yielding results across the board, AI is undoubtedly a fundamental tool in the successful future of many areas of healthcare.

Two areas currently seeing impressive advances are pain detection and pain management. Managing chronic pain remains a hot topic for Dr. Kieran Slevin and his peers as they and others around them continue to invest time and resources in effective non-pharmacological methods of pain reduction.

AI is already proving incredibly fruitful in this regard. Doctors increasingly turn to artificially intelligent technologies to help patients manage chronic pain. The results of an ever-growing number of studies point toward an overwhelmingly promising outlook for the technology and sufferers of chronic pain.

Artificially Intelligent Therapy

One area in which the medical field is already successfully using AI to facilitate breakthroughs in pain detection and patient care is cognitive therapy intervention. Cognitive pain therapy presently plays a vital part in helping sufferers of chronic pain.

Dr. Kieran Slevin and his peers know how effective access to cognitive pain therapy can be for chronic pain sufferers. Yet, gaining direct access to specialist therapists can be challenging for various reasons. Such challenges in access to care frequently lead to patients not receiving the valuable forms of therapy most likely to benefit them.

Alternatively, those who have already benefited from a degree of cognitive pain therapy may find themselves unable to finish treatment for similar reasons. But with artificially intelligent therapy—using AI as an alternative to a therapist for cognitive pain intervention—patients face far fewer obstacles in accessing such care.

Studies show similar results in working with therapists and accessing AI assistance. A recent JAMA International study even found that patients receiving AI-powered cognitive behavioral treatment enjoyed superior overall improvement versus physical therapists. As Dr. Slevin has seen, the same AI therapy took around half the time of traditional therapy undertaken with a hands-on professional.

Future Potential of AI-Led Patient Care

Artificial intelligence will likely become vital in optimized patient care in the coming years. Studies show that patients living with physical pain are likely to benefit significantly in this regard. That's because AI therapy is already proving itself a valid option in delivering patient-centered care for sufferers of chronic pain.

Dr. Kieran Slevin believes that, with artificially intelligent therapy, far more patients will gain access to the all-important care they require. The same care should also become more convenient and less costly to access. At the same time, he notes that AI-focused efforts should remain tech-based rather than entirely tech-led for now to ensure optimum patient care.

Either way, with AI underpinning many of today's leading advances in medicine, artificially intelligent therapy represents just one of many invaluable cutting-edge tech-based tools currently emerging as a part of the broader healthcare landscape.

Interventional Spine Specialist Dr. Kieran Slevin

North American Spine and Pain co-founder Dr. Kieran Slevin is a physician and interventional spine specialist from the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Medical Society member is a recognized thought leader in innovative healthcare models and is a global authority on interventional spine care and pain management. He is also the Spine Intervention Society's appointed American Medical Association delegate.

Dr. Slevin was born and raised in Donegal, Ireland, and now lives and works in Philadelphia County. In addition to his professional endeavors, he supports various critical charities, nonprofit organizations, and other good causes. These include PHL Cares, a nonprofit addressing homelessness in Philadelphia. Outside his work and charitable efforts, his hobbies and interests include cooking, running, sports, and travel.

Want to learn more? Visit Dr. Slevin and the North American Spine and Pain team today!