Dr Ghada Al Harbi, Head of the Medical Simulation Centre at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), participated in the work of the first Gulf Healthcare and Sport Congress (GHSC), which was recently held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, General Sports Authority Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President.
The event witnessed the participation of international experts, speakers and academics, who discussed 50 scientific papers and practical research in the health and sports sectors, such as: comprehensive health coverage, employing artificial intelligence, virtual reality in the health and sports sectors, the emergency response system in the field of sports medicine, transformation in health professions, and preparing leaders and decision makers in the field of health, quality and safety in healthcare, as well as innovation in rehabilitation and sports medicine, nutrition in the field of sports, and management of sports institutions.
During the Congress, Dr Al Harbi explained how can artificial intelligence contribute to improving performance and learning outcomes in health and sports education in a safe way, pointing to the gradual impact of artificial intelligence on every aspect of daily life, including education.
She stated: “Artificial intelligence research is still in its early stages, so it is necessary to study how it has developed in order to employ its huge potential to serve the educational process over time. By using artificial intelligence in physical education, we can increase its potential use in sports applications, and make changes to the nature of physical education, its visualisation and repetition.”
Additionally, Dr Al Harbi elaborate on the measures that should be used to ensure the safety, accuracy and reliability of artificial intelligence systems in the sports and healthcare sectors, warning against cyberattacks that may get in the way of searching for sensitive medical information, and against the misuse of that information by unauthorised individuals, which raises the issue of ethical questions about who has access to patient data and how it is used.
“Protecting personal data is essential, and thanks to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Personal Data Protection Law No. (30) of 2018 came into effect, which imposes compliance with regulatory frameworks and safeguards statements. However, the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare and sports poses a privacy and security risk. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and address potential issues that may arise from the use of artificial intelligence in these areas,” she clarified.
Dr Al Harbi also noted that the Medical Simulation Centre at AGU is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain that integrates university medical curricula into simulation.
She added that the high-precision dolls simulate real patients using all high technologies, from small patient organs to a complete doll resembling an adult human, confirming at the same time that the future is promising with regard to artificial intelligence, while taking into account all of its disadvantages such as cybersecurity issues, mentioning that artificial intelligence can lead the future with the help of humans in the fields of health and sports.
