Home Health NHS to offer AI scanners to detect hard-to-detect fractures in bid to reduce number of bone fractures going undiagnosed in A&E

NHS to offer AI scanners to detect hard-to-detect fractures in bid to reduce number of bone fractures going undiagnosed in A&E

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The health service spending watchdog has given the green light to four artificial intelligence programs designed to reduce the number of bone fractures that go undiagnosed in emergencies. In the photo: archive photo

Artificial intelligence (AI) scanning technology that can detect hard-to-detect fractures is to be rolled out across the NHS.

The health service spending watchdog has given the green light to four artificial intelligence programs designed to reduce the number of bone fractures that go undiagnosed in emergencies.

Missed fractures are one of the most common errors in emergency departments, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), amid a chronic shortage of radiologists and radiographers.

The NHS estimates that more than £1 million a year is spent on compensation for patients whose fractures have been missed.

The four technologies (TechCare Alert, Rayvolve, BoneView and RBfracture) are expected to increase the accuracy of break detection by approximately 15 percent.

Doctors will continue to evaluate scans for signs of fractures, but at participating hospitals the AI ​​will also look for smaller breaks.

Experts believe that by detecting fractures early, the programs could prevent patients from suffering further injuries while speeding up their recovery time.

The health service spending watchdog has given the green light to four artificial intelligence programs designed to reduce the number of bone fractures that go undiagnosed in emergencies. In the photo: archive photo

Missed fractures are one of the most common errors in emergency departments. In the photo: archive photo

Missed fractures are one of the most common errors in emergency departments. In the photo: archive photo

Around 200,000 people are admitted to hospital with a fracture each year. The most common are hip, ankle and hand fractures.

People with osteoporosis, a disease that thins bones, are also more likely to suffer fractures.

AI scanning technology is developed by uploading thousands of bone scan images until the software learns to recognize signs of fractures.

Similar programs are being used to detect early signs of cancer.

Mark Chapman, head of health technology at NICE, said: “These AI technologies are safe to use and could detect fractures that humans might miss.

“Using artificial intelligence technology to help highly trained professionals in urgent care centers identify which of their patients has a fracture could speed diagnosis and reduce follow-up appointments needed due to a missed fracture during an initial evaluation” .

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