TLDR:
- AI technology is already saving lives in the NHS by diagnosing strokes, spotting heart attacks, and detecting cancer.
- AI systems like e-Stroke, qXR, Osairis, and The Tommy’s app are revolutionizing healthcare by providing quicker and more accurate diagnoses.
Artificial intelligence is playing a crucial role in revolutionizing healthcare in the NHS. With the Government allocating £21million to support AI-driven technology in the health service, experts believe that AI is already helping to save lives on a daily basis. The NHS AI Lab aims to coordinate Government, health providers, academics, and tech firms to implement promising AI innovations. Tara Donnelly, the founder of Digital Care, highlighted the potential of AI in healthcare, citing examples like Moorfields Eye Hospital’s AI system that can recommend referral decisions with 94% accuracy for over 50 eye diseases.
One of the key advantages of using AI in the NHS is the vast amount of data generated by treating almost 1.3 million patients daily. This data serves as a valuable resource for AI to learn from and optimize its functions. AI technologies like e-Stroke, qXR, Osairis, and The Tommy’s app are already making a significant impact in healthcare by providing faster and more accurate diagnoses.
The AI-powered e-Stroke system, for example, has helped over 111,000 suspected stroke patients receive timely treatment by quickly assessing brain scans and shaving life-saving minutes off the diagnosis process. Similarly, AI software like qXR can flag lung problems for immediate further investigation, potentially detecting lung cancer early and reducing wait times for patients.
In the realm of cancer care, AI technologies have shown great promise in improving outcomes for patients. The Osairis system streamlines the preparation of radiotherapy scans, reducing the time taken from hours to minutes. This not only alleviates the stress for cancer patients but also ensures more precise treatment by protecting healthy tissues from radiation.
Moreover, AI tools have been developed to predict heart attack risks by analyzing changes in fat around inflamed arteries, potentially reducing heart attacks by over 20%. In pregnancy care, The Tommy’s app utilizes AI algorithms to assess a woman’s risk of complications, while AI is also assisting in IVF clinics to identify viable embryos, leading to a 30% increase in success rates.
From assisting in brain surgery to improving breast cancer screenings, AI is proving to be a game-changer in healthcare, providing faster, more accurate diagnoses and improving patient outcomes across various medical conditions.