The government in the United Kingdom is using artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry to cut down on hospital visits, having already seen a 40% reduction in the number of return visits from high-risk patients.
Since March 2023, patients who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in England have been using the Lenus support system, which utilizes AI and an app to monitor their conditions, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) said a statement.
NHS officials said the system has reduced patients' need to return to the hospital for more treatment by creating "virtual wards" they can access from home. Patients can also message health personnel directly for more help.
The patients use an app that prompts them on "a daily, weekly, and monthly basis" to answer questions about their "well-being and their symptoms," said Mike Crooks, a professor of respiratory medicine. The information is stored and put onto the "clinician app," he said.
Crooks is ready to enter the next phase of the project "to use AI to analyze this data" and "identify trends and triggers" that are related to COPD patients. He wants artificial intelligence to help give patients the required care and put supportive interventions in place "before they reach this point."
