University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) has shared insight into how the trust is utilising artificial intelligence with the aim of improving patient experience, with focus on a collaborative project designed to reduce the number of missed appointments.
UHCW’s CEO Professor Andy Hardy spoke at an IBM event to share how the trust partnered with the tech company to utilise its Watsonx AI platform with process mining techniques to make “simple changes” to the timing of SMS outpatient appointment reminders.
By undertaking testing with data processing, the trust identified an opportunity to switch text reminders from four days to 14 days before the appointment, and reports “significant” reductions in the number of patients who did not attend appointments or cancelled at the last minute. These slots could then be allocated to 700 other patients.
According to Professor Hardy, modelling “suggests that you could make a real dent in what is a massive waiting list by 10 percent to 15 percent”, with relevant financial savings alongside as well as freeing up slots for patient care.
AI in the spotlight
Earlier this week HTN reported how the UK government has awarded £12 million in funding for projects utilising innovative technologies such as AI, VR and wearable sensors in supporting people with drug addictions and reducing drug-related deaths.
At the start of October, we explored how different NHS trusts are using and trialling AI, from a study to increase cancer detection rates to supporting fracture identification.
In September, we highlighted how MHRA opened applications for its AI Airlock pilot, offering innovators the chance to benefit from expert support and sandbox testing for medical devices utilising AI.
Other news last month included Health Level Seven International (HL7) publishing guidance on the AI and machine learning data lifecycle, intended as an “informative document” to help developers in promoting the use of of standards to “improve the trust and quality of interoperable data used in AI models”.
In the summer, we reported how Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust partnered with health tech startup Newton’s Tree in a move which will see the startup’s enterprise AI platform deployed across the trust, with the aim of supporting Leeds Teaching Hospitals to “rapidly scale” its ability to evaluate and implement AI applications.
HTN hosted a panel discussion exploring whether the reality of AI will live up to current hype, as well as how bias can be managed in healthcare data.
We also interviewed Ricardo Baptista Leite, CEO at HealthAI, the global agency for responsible AI and health; Ricardo chatted with us about the potential and considerations for artificial intelligence and key learnings from his career.
