Machine Learning: The Next Paradigm Shift in Medical Education.

Machine learning (ML) algorithms are powerful prediction tools with immense potential in the clinical setting. There are a number of existing clinical tools that use ML, and many more are in development. Physicians are important stakeholders in the health care system, but most are not equipped to make informed decisions regarding deployment and application of ML technologies in patient care. It is of paramount importance that ML concepts are integrated into medical curricula to position physicians to become informed consumers of the emerging tools employing ML. This paradigm shift is similar to the evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement of the 1990s. At that time, EBM was a novel concept; now, EBM is considered an essential component of medical curricula and critical to the provision of high-quality patient care. ML has the potential to have a similar, if not greater, impact on the practice of medicine. As this technology continues its inexorable march forward, educators must continue to evaluate medical curricula to ensure that physicians are trained to be informed stakeholders in the health care of tomorrow.

Chinese Manufacturer Charged With Exporting Fake N95 Respirators to the US Innovation in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of academic medical center missions. The number and rapidity of innovative responses to the crisis are extraordinary. When the pandemic has subsided, the world of academic medicine will have changed. The author of this Invited Commentary anticipates that at least some of these innovations will become part of academic medicine’s everyday clinical and educational operations. Here, he considers the implications of exemplary innovations—virtual care, hospital at home, advances in diagnosis and therapy, virtual learning, and virtual clinical learning—for regulators, academic medical centers, faculty, and students.

Beyond the COVID Pandemic, Telemedicine, and Health Care.

This article reviews the current experience and the flaws encountered in the rush to deploy telemedicine as a substitute for in-person care in response to the raging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; the preceding fault lines in the U.S. health care system that exacerbated the problem; and the importance of emerging from this calamity with a clear vision for necessary health care reforms. It starts with the premise that the precursors of catastrophes of this magnitude provide a valid basis for planning corrective measures, improved preparedness, and ultimately serious health reform. Such reform should include standardized protocols for proper deployment of telemedicine to triage patients to the appropriate level and source of care at the point of need, proper use of relevant technological innovations to deliver precision medicine, and the development of regional networks to coordinate and improve access to care while streamlining the care process. The other essential element is a universal payment system that puts the United States at par with the rest of the industrialized countries, regardless of variation among them. The ultimate goal is creating an efficient, effective, accessible, and equitable system of care. Although timing is uncertain, the pandemic will be brought under control. The path to a better future after the pandemic offers some consolation for the massive loss of life and treasure during this pandemic.

Innovation in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of academic medical center missions. The number and rapidity of innovative responses to the crisis are extraordinary. When the pandemic has subsided, the world of academic medicine will have changed. The author of this Invited Commentary anticipates that at least some of these innovations will become part of academic medicine's everyday clinical and educational operations. Here, he considers the implications of exemplary innovations-virtual care, hospital at home, advances in diagnosis and therapy, virtual learning, and virtual clinical learning-for regulators, academic medical centers, faculty, and students.