AI pediatrician to enter more grassroots hospitals in China

An artificial intelligence (AI) pediatrician is expected to enter more grassroots hospitals in China, as it has won widespread recognition since its debut at Beijing Children's Hospital in February.

The hospital unveiled the country's first pediatric large-scale AI model under the name "Futang·Baichuan" this week, introducing two AI-powered applications — the AI Pediatrician Basic Version and the Expert Version.

The applications will be deployed in medical centers and community hospitals across Beijing as well as over 150 county-level hospitals in neighboring Hebei Province, according to the developer.

The model features a robust knowledge system for common and rare childhood diseases, leveraging pediatric "evidence-based medicine" to generate personalized 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 pediatric care, empowering grassroots clinicians, while the Expert Version addresses complex and rare diseases to enhance decision-making efficiency," said Ni Xin, head of Beijing Children's Hospital.

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 percent.

Developed by the hospital in collaboration with two technology companies Baichuan AI and Xiaoerfang, the AI pediatrician stems from a tripartite partnership established on August 28, 2023, which aims to advance pediatric AI models and expand equitable access to high-quality pediatric health care through innovative technologies.