BEIJING, China: An artificial intelligence (AI) paediatrician is expected to enter more grassroots hospitals in China.
It has won widespread recognition since its debut at Beijing Children’s Hospital in February, according to Xinhua.
The hospital unveiled the country’s first paediatric large-scale AI model under the name ‘Futang•Baichuan’ this week, introducing two AI-powered applications – the AI Paediatrician Basic Version and the Expert Version.
The applications will be deployed in medical centres and community hospitals across Beijing as well as over 150 county-level hospitals in neighbouring Hebei Province, according to the developer.
The model features a robust knowledge system for common and rare childhood diseases, leveraging paediatric “evidence-based medicine” to generate personalised diagnosis and treatment plans.
Trained on clinical expertise from more than 300 renowned specialists at the hospital and decades of high-quality medical records, it excels in clinical reasoning, multi-modal processing, and multi-round chatting.
When interacting with patients’ parents, it can autonomously conduct multi-round inquiries and engage in communication patiently.
“The Basic Version targets daily paediatric care, empowering grassroots clinicians, while the Expert Version addresses complex and rare diseases to enhance decision-making efficiency,” said head of Beijing Children’s Hospital, Ni Xin.
Ni gave an example.
The Basic Version can differentiate early symptoms of viral encephalitis – often mistaken for the common cold – to prompt timely testing and reduce misdiagnosis risks.
Since February 13, the Expert Version has entered operation and participated in over 10 multidisciplinary consultations.
Its diagnostic alignment with expert decisions reached 95 per cent.
Developed by the hospital in collaboration with two technology companies Baichuan AI and Xiaoerfang, the AI paediatrician stems from a tripartite partnership established on August 28, 2023.
It aims to advance paediatric AI models and expand equitable access to high-quality paediatric healthcare through innovative technologies. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
