Welsh Wound Association supports new venture in addressing Welsh NHS pressures.
The Welsh Wound Association is backing a new venture aimed at putting more control of patient management in the hands of innovation to relieve pressure on nursing staff and doctors.
As fears rise that the immigrant worker population in the NHS may fall following the Brexit referendum, and as figures announced by the Welsh Government (31/8/16) indicate continued pressure from absenteeism through sickness in the NHS, the team at Cassini have developed a new system that will help automate the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, leading to the prospect of replacing some human intervention in the NHS with innovative technology.
The project, named GHAIA, is headed by Mr Phil Hall, a leading figure in artificial intelligence (AI).
Mr Hall said: “We have already been receiving great feedback for the project, and it has real potential to improve efficiency and patient care in the healthcare industry.
“Estimates currently show that reducing the length of stay in an NHS hospital for one condition in one Trust amounts to a saving of around £8million, so the need for this type of innovation is real.”
By augmenting the communication between patients and healthcare professionals, GHAIA aims to use data gleaned from healthcare professionals and the wider community to deliver advice and monitor the health of its users.
Profesor Keith Harding Medical Director of the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre and Dean of Clinical Innovation in Cardiff University said that his group were pleased to be involved in this project as the problem of wound healing in the NHS is an orphan subject and with the increasing incidence of diabetes newer ways of supporting patients with diabetic foot disease are urgently needed. The developments envisaged here could make a great difference in managing patients with a limb and life threatening condition that if managed in an appropriate way can save many limbs from being amputated. Involving patients and family members in their own care is an important component of dealing with the ever increasing challenge of chronic diseases especially when the focus and funding to develop and support such clinical challenges is often absent.
Mr Hall added: “This technology could possibly be used to create a memory bank of voice recordings and photos for Alzheimer’s sufferers, as well as creating diet plans for diabetics and alerting emergency services when needed.
“While budgets in healthcare are always being squeezed, this software could help the industry become more efficient, and that has got to be good for both patients and healthcare professionals.”
The team were inspired by conditions that were close to home, focusing on wounds as part of a diabetes case, for dementia, and also for multiple sclerosis.
Mr Hall said: “We used these case studies because they have personal connections, but also because many of the people living with these chronic conditions are self-managing their illness 99 per cent of the time after proper medical consultation has been sought.”
It is planned that a beta version of GHAIA will be released later this year.
The intention is to release it through a Git hub channel, which will mean that developers will be trial the platform to improve it.
Notes to Editor:
• For Media comment and interviews contact Ashley Daffin on 07780432790, or email ashley.daffin@cassiniglobalhealth.com
• For more information about Cassini Health visit www.cassiniglobalhealth.com