The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has stated that artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly decrease the number of missing fractures and broken bones that physicians overlook while reading X-rays. The healthcare assessment body claimed that the use of AI was secure and could hasten the diagnostic procedure, alleviating the burden on clinicians and reducing the requirement for some follow-up appointments. England’s urgent care will now implement the use of four AI devices, and additional evidence will be collected on the benefits of the technology.
Broken bones are left undiagnosed in 3% – 10% of cases, which is the most common misdiagnosis in emergency departments, according to NICE. There is a shortage of qualified specialists who study and analyse thousands of NHS X-ray pictures every day, leading to a substantial workload and diminishing numbers of radiologists. Radiator specialists and radiographers have a vacancy rate of 12.5% and 15%, respectively, according to the long-term plan for the NHS in England. NICE believes that the resolution is to combine AI with clinical treatments.
Mark Chapman, the director of health technology at NICE, said that the use of AI could facilitate the medical professionals’ jobs. He said that “These AI technologies are safe to use and could spot fractures which humans might miss, given the pressure and demands these professional groups work under.” Additionally, he shared that AI instruments might also help speed up the diagnostic process, decrease the follow-up appointments required, and improve the initial assessments’ accuracy.
NICE is confident that AI will not result in an increase in improper diagnoses or unnecessary referrals to fracture clinics. This is because radiologists view all X-ray images, rendering the procedure better than a clinician’s inspection of the pictures on their own. AI is a method that has significant potential to be used in healthcare for various causes, such as detecting breast cancer’s earliest signs on scans, predicting who is the highest risk of having a heart attack, and forecasting when the next pandemic might occur. The consultation for the draft NICE guidance on this use of AI will end on November 5th
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
