Elementary, My Dear Watson? Supercomputer Builds Foundation for Clinical Decisions

IBM supercomputer Watson beat Ken Jennings in a round of Jeopardy! in 2011, but how do Watson's cognitive capabilities fare with clinicians?

Federal Practitioner. 2015 March;32(3):e5

March 2, 2015|Federal Practitioner

The same technology that led the supercomputer Watson to victory over long-term Jeopardy! winner Ken Jennings in 2011 may also help physicians access clinical answers faster. The VA is launching a 2-year pilot study to assess whether IBM computer technology can make searching for information from published studies and medical records easier.

Watson can read and understand natural language, allowing it to analyze unstructured data, which make up as much as 80% of data today. Through repeated use, Watson “gets smarter,” IBM says, by tracking feedback from users and learning from both successes and failures. IBM is already working with several health care organizations to apply Watson’s cognitive capabilities to identifying and analyzing cancer treatment options.

In addition to building a foundation for evidence-based clinical decisions, the effort may benefit patients. “A tool that can help a clinician quickly collect, combine, and present information will allow them to spend more time listening and interacting with the veteran,” said VA Interim Under Secretary for Health Carolyn Clancy, MD, in a VA press release.