Just as the internet itself did, AI technology will become ever more intrinsic to our lives and our work. If you’re over 40, you’ll remember that, for a while, it seemed like everything started with the prefix “e-“. And then, eventually, it just became part of how the world worked. Similarly, AI’s involvement will be a gradual evolution, not an overnight revolution. Our industry is complex and highly regulated, and change takes time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for implementing AI-related improvements right away, though. One particular area is in helping to triage medical information.

Medical information teams are an integral part of every pharmaceutical company’s operations, fielding questions about medications from healthcare professionals, scientists, patients, and company personnel. Upon receiving a query, researchers must parse the question. What exactly is being asked? What’s the most up-to-date, relevant answer available? Does the submission include a complaint or the report of an adverse event? Does the answer already exist, or must it be drafted, reviewed and approved? Proper protocol must be followed, and timeliness is vital.

It’s an incredibly important process, but it’s also repetitive, time-intensive, and costly. While MI teams use a variety of automated systems and processes to respond quickly with high-quality, accurate, balanced responses, it requires considerable human effort and cost. It’s an area crying out for help.

AI could help to triage medical information responses in a way that continues to remain compliant and maintains a human touch, but is far more cost-effective, keeping the experts doing the work they need to, and not the sorting and organization they don’t.