Hospital leads way in using AI to help patients

A hospital has introduced a new artificial intelligence system to help doctors treat stroke patients.

The RapidAI software was recently used for the first time at Hereford County Hospital.

It analyses patients' brain images to help decide whether they need an operation or drugs to remove a blood clot.

Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, is the first in the West Midlands to roll out the software.

Jenny Vernel, senior radiographer at the trust, said: “AI will never replace the clinical expertise that our doctors and consultants have.

"But harnessing this latest technology is allowing us to make very quick decisions based on the experiences of thousands of other stroke patients.”

Radiographer Thomas Blackman told BBC Hereford and Worcester that it usually takes half an hour for the information to be communicated.

He said the new AI-powered system now means it is "pinged" to the relevant teams' phones via an app in a matter of minutes.

"It's improved the patient pathway a lot," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 7 December 2023