An AI tool reads children's eardrum photos to help rule out ear infections
Most kids get an ear infection at least once, and the youngest often cannot say what hurts. As Scienceline reports, researchers at Turku University Hospital in Finland trained an AI model to sort digital otoscope photos of children aged six months to three years into normal or abnormal. Compared against three physicians, it was 92% accurate at identifying acute otitis media. It needs a clear image and cannot replace a doctor, but it can help rule infection out. The team is now testing it with 40 Finnish families, half of whom have otoscopes at home, with experts urging telehealth confirmation.