Machine learning in healthcare: an overview

Abstract

Machine learning has been widely used in many domains lately and an increasing trend can be observed. New algorithms have been developed and older ones have been improved or combined to get better results. Healthcare is one of the domains that has seen the benets of using these new computation methods. Considering that early prototypes of artificially intelligent doctors already exist [2], in the not too distant future we could be greeted by robot nurses or even doctors at medical facilities. This paper aims to present, analyze and discuss some of the latest advancements in machine learning from the healthcare point of view. Important aspects that this paper covers are: recently used machine learning algorithms in healthcare, data available for research purposes, and the fields that healthcare extends to. A conclusion based on these aspects is drawn, whether there is a need and possibility for potential further development of machine learning algorithms in healthcare.