With the arrival of artificial intelligence, many devices have made use of this tool to, in theory, enhance and strengthen their characteristics, as well as providing greater comfort and effectiveness in daily tasks.
However, the case recently reported by CBS News shows how, even with the implementation of AI, Errors may arise that have negative consequences.
The case dates back to a year ago, at Erlanger Baroness Hospital, the largest in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when medical staff reported that one of the nurses was acting strangely: He slurred his speech and had difficulty staying awake.
In the days that followed, the nurse tested positive for drugs and was fired. The hospital worker admitted shortly after that he had stolen fentanyl left over from surgeries performed at the healthcare center.
CBS mentions that these cases are called “medication diversions”, which consists of the illegal theft of controlled substances from health centers. It is presumed to be such a common problem that it occurs in most hospitals in the United States.
However, the case of the Tennessee hospital is curious because a high-tech surveillance system that was supposed to prevent this type of situation.
According to CBS, the hospital used a defense system against drug diversion called Sentri7, a medication monitoring software powered by artificial intelligence.
The system was designed to detect missing medications “faster than any human being.”
However, for months the software did not issue any alerts for stolen medications. Furthermore, CBS mentions that neither There is no record of the extent of its use or the number of failures it would have caused.
The hospital, according to the American media, declined make comments about the use of the software or the stolen fentanyl.
On the other hand, André Rebelo, spokesperson for the health division of Wolters Kluwer, the Dutch technology company responsible for Sentri7, also did not want to comment on the case, but reiterated that the company “he still trusted his software.”