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Artificial Intelligence Software: Dr. Chris Bates, Director of Research and Analysis at TPP
A leading data scientist has praised the power of artificial intelligence (AI) after it helped reduce the number of patients missing GP appointments by almost a third.
Chris Bates, director of research and analysis at clinical software firm TPP, said his company’s technology could save the cash-strapped NHS a fortune. No-shows account for more than one million missed GP appointments each month, equivalent to one in every 20 scheduled consultations.
This increases pressure on a health system already weakened by the demands of an aging population.
Now Leeds-based TPP has developed an artificial intelligence tool that predicts which patients are most likely to not show up for their appointments.
The company uses machine learning models to analyze patient behavior patterns based on a variety of factors. Their algorithms analyze demographic details, including age, gender, and appointment booking history.
Young men from a lower socio-economic background in and around cities are more likely to miss GP appointments, Bates told the Mail.
Patients who lived closer to a GP surgery were more likely to skip a consultation than those who lived further away, although it is not clear why this is the case, he said.
Armed with information about the type of patient most likely to skip an appointment, GPs can take steps to encourage them to attend, such as sending them a text message or talking to them on the phone.
The idea is not to try to deprive patients of the opportunity to see their GP based on an AI profile, but to encourage them to come by giving them additional reminders.
“AI in healthcare has been overhyped and not given enough attention, and we’re changing that,” Bates said.
“This is a shining example of what machine learning will bring to healthcare, helping to address real problems for patients and frontline teams.”
Missed appointments cost the NHS £216 million a year (enough to pay 2,325 full-time doctors), according to its own figures.
A successful trial of AI technology is being rolled out across the country in Norfolk.
“Since we started using the report, we have seen our ADN (no-show) rate decrease by 30 percent, which is equivalent to hundreds of appointments since the start of the pilot program,” said Karen Bell, the practice’s director of surgery. Trinity and Bowthorpe. in norwich.
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