AI tool finds cancer signs missed by doctors

An AI tool has proven capable of detecting signs of cancer that were overlooked by human radiologists.

The AI tool, called Mia, was piloted alongside NHS clinicians in the UK and analysed the mammograms of over 10,000 women. 

Most of the participants were cancer-free, but the AI successfully flagged all of those with symptoms of breast cancer—as well as an additional 11 cases that the doctors failed to identify. Of the 10,889 women who participated in the trial,...

21 March 2024 | Applications

NHS receives AI fund to improve healthcare efficiency

NHS staff will soon have access to advanced AI technology to enhance the speed and accuracy of patient diagnosis and treatment, thanks to a new £21 million fund.

The AI Diagnostic Fund will allow NHS Trusts to apply for funding to expedite the deployment of AI imaging and decision support tools, particularly for diagnosing conditions such as cancers, strokes, and heart conditions.

The Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, has also pledged to implement AI...

23 June 2023 | Applications

AI being used to cherry-pick organs for transplant

A new method to assess the quality of organs for donation is set to revolutionise the transplant system - and it could help save lives and tens of millions of pounds.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is contributing more than £1 million in funding to develop the new technology, which is known as Organ Quality Assessment (OrQA). It works in the same way as Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition to evaluate the quality of an organ.

It...

2 March 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

The NHS hopes an AI chatbot will help tackle patient wait times

An NHS trust in Liverpool is partnering with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop an AI chatbot to help tackle patient wait times.

Brits have become used to long NHS wait times for many years. However, the post-covid backlog has sent the number of patients on waiting lists rocketing:

There are many strong views on what NHS reforms are needed, but one thing everyone can agree on is that the current trajectory is unsustainable. Modern technologies will be vital...

29 July 2022 | Artificial Intelligence

The NHS can now access ‘pioneering’ AI stroke diagnosis software

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has announced a procurement framework for "pioneering" AI software to diagnose strokes.

Breakthroughs in medical AIs are helping to reduce patient suffering, the likelihood and/or severity of long-term complications, and even save lives across a number of ailments.

Some of the benefits from medical AI breakthroughs are achieved through improved understanding leading to better treatment, while others are due to reducing the amount of...

7 March 2022 | Applications

UK health secretary hopes AI projects can tackle racial inequality

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid has greenlit a series of AI-based projects that aim to tackle racial inequalities in the NHS.

Racial inequality continues to be rampant in healthcare. Examining the fallout of COVID-19 serves as yet another example of the disparity between ethnicities.

In England and Wales, males of Black African ethnic background had the highest rate of death involving COVID-19, 2.7 times higher than males of a White ethnic background. Females of Black...

20 October 2021 | Ethics & Society

DeepMind hit with class-action lawsuit over NHS health data scandal

DeepMind is facing a class-action lawsuit over its controversial use of NHS patients’ health data back in 2015.

Google-owned DeepMind was quietly given the personal records of 1.6 million patients at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

DeepMind said that it was using the data to create a potentially life-saving app called Streams. The app was designed to alert, diagnose, and detect when patients were at risk of developing acute kidney injury. It’s currently...

1 October 2021 | Ethics & Society

Janine Lloyd-Jones, Faculty: On the ethical considerations of AI and ensuring it’s a tool for positive change

The benefits of AI are becoming increasingly clear as deployments ramp up, but fully considering the technology’s impact must remain a priority to build public trust.

AI News caught up with Janine Lloyd-Jones, director of marketing and communication at Faculty, to discuss how the benefits of AI can be unlocked while ensuring deployments remain a tool for positive change.

AI News: What are the constraints, ethical considerations, and potential for deep reinforcement...

6 September 2021 | Ethics & Society

NHS will use AI to improve COVID-19 treatment and shorten hospital stays

The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) will use AI to help improve the outcome for COVID-19 patients and reduce their time spent in hospital.

While the UK’s vaccine rollout is among the fastest in the world – certainly in comparison to its European peers – a series of late lockdowns and initial lack of PPE equipment has put the health service under immense pressure and left the country with one of the highest COVID-19 deaths rates per capita.

The latest lockdown...

18 January 2021 | Healthcare

Former NHS surgeon creates AI ‘virtual patient’ for remote training

A former NHS surgeon has created an AI-powered “virtual patient” which helps to keep skills sharp during a time when most in-person training is on hold.

Dr Alex Young is a trained orthopaedic and trauma surgeon who founded Virti and set out to use emerging technologies to provide immersive training for both new healthcare professionals and experienced ones looking to hone their skills.

COVID-19 has put most in-person training on hold to minimise transmission risks....

11 December 2020 | Applications