In the first quarter of the 21st century, there is, perhaps, no aspect of modern technology breeding more fear than artificial intelligence.

 

The participants in every corner of society – from politicians to government leaders, from authors to artists, from captains of industry to tech moguls, from clinicians to healthcare leaders, from students to educators, must, whether they choose to or not, confront a world upon which AI has rapidly descended. So swift has been the proliferation of AI that the world has barely been able to grapple with the myriad of implications that come with it. As often happens, technology is outpacing the policy implications it creates. Healthcare is no exception, and EMS is probably even further behind the AI curve than other components of the American medical system.

 

I believe that the two quotes above frame the issue of AI and future-oriented technologies as well as any. One need only look at healthcare history to see a long line of beneficial technologies that bred fear and required the confidence of knowledge to overcome. 

 

The turn of the 20th century saw the dawn of the science of defibrillation, a technology which has saved countless lives in the 100+ years since it was first demonstrated in 1899. The thought of applying electrical current to a person led many to eschew the use of defibrillation – primarily out of fear for its consequences. Despite its clear and demonstrated benefits, to this day research reveals that utilization of public access AEDs is, in part, inhibited by fear. 

 

The advent of the polio vaccine, in which strains of the actual polio virus are administered to inoculate a healthy individual against the development of the disease, required a massive leap of faith (and data) to overcome fear. That fear inevitably came with administering into a body the very virus that was dreaded the world over and that had caused so much misery (including the paralysis of our 32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt). To this day, fear (and misinformation) contribute to a substantial proliferation of vaccine rejection in the population, with the attendant public health challenges that denialism causes.

 

Leaders of nuclear nations must grapple with the existential issue of AI’s ability to destroy civilization. That’s pretty heady stuff. But leaders in all fields must address questions which, while perhaps less weighty to mankind, are nevertheless crucial to other aspects of science, the arts, industry and healthcare. 

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This is where Donnie Woodyard (again) does a service to EMS with The Future of Emergency Medical Services: Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Innovation.  This important work tackles AI and future-facing technology in EMS from both a macro and a micro perspective.  The author pulls back the curtain on the evolution of AI policy in the lofty air of its most political levels, and then progressively zooms in so that the reader can see how it effects – and can benefit - their EMS systems, their people and their patients.  Donnie’s work allows EMS leaders, technologists, educators and practitioners to replace their fears with knowledge – and to build their confidence with that knowledge to help shape a future enhanced by the limitless potential of AI.

 

As a lover of history, my favorite aspect of this book is the way that Donnie weaves the threads of our past with the filaments of our future. The Future of EMS draws a straight line from our profession’s greatest leaders and thinkers – and the ways they challenged the status quo and embraced progress – to the future unfolding before us. This book gives EMS leaders a road map on how to harness new technologies for good, rather than being consumed with the fear of the unknown and allowing that fear to drive technological paralysis.  It all begins with knowledge and understanding. The Future of EMS is a must-read for anyone who aspires to help blaze these new trails.

 

When the history of EMS in the 21st century is written – with all the breathless change it entails – Donnie’s name will be on the list of those who contributed to shaping it.  Like Safar, Nagle, Page and Caroline before him, the name Woodyard will undoubtedly take its place in the pantheon of this generation’s EMS thought leaders. I enjoyed this book, and EMS owes Donnie a debt of gratitude for writing it.  I hope others find it as insightful and revelatory as I did.

 

To the future!

 

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
July 2024