Hazel Tang A science writer with data background and an interest in the current affair, culture, and arts; a no-med from an (almost) all-med family. Follow on Twitter.
This morning’s AIMed meeting on ‘A CLINICIAN’S GUIDE TO THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF AI IN MEDICINE’ saw Finn Catling, an Anaesthetic & Critical Care Doctor, Machine Learning Researcher and NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur explain how AI could improve the patient experience of getting a mammogram.
Answering a question on the practical applications of AI, Dr Catling said: “I think what’s been lacking in health IT for a long time is a real focus on user experience.
“I’m talking about users both in terms of the healthcare professionals who are using the software and the ultimate people we should all be focusing on – the patients, who are also users sometimes by proxy of these systems.
“We have to reform that first and I think we’ll see huge benefits in efficiency just by doing that very well.
Watch the full video of the briefing by signing up to our resources page here.
“In order to have the most impact from deploying AI we need our focus not to be on isolated applications of AI, but rather looking at a patient pathway, or set of pathways in totality and thinking about where we can integrate AI in a smart way to improve efficiency.
“So think about, for example, the breast cancer screening program in the UK.
“If we could have automated interpretation of a mammogram then that’s a cool isolated application of AI.
“But if we think about integrating that into a pathway:
- A woman comes in for her mammogram, she has the mammogram,
- We have automated interpretation of that which tells us, not just are there early signs of breast cancer here but also, is this scan of the appropriate quality that we don’t need to repeat it?
- We have that automated interpretation done in a few seconds
- Then we can either reassure that woman or direct her straight on to the next phase of triple assessment, whether that be further imaging, biopsy, clinical examination, etc.
“And that could all happen on the same day as opposed to someone having their mammogram, going home, being told it’s not actually a good enough scan, that they have to come back,
“You can just see how that’s a much more efficient pathway for the patient and the hospital providing that service.”
Dr Catling will also be presenting as a speaker at AIMed Europe 2018, 11th-13th September.
Watch the full video of the briefing by signing up to our resources page here.
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