Hospital trust showcases use of AI

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, pictured with consultant urological surgeon David Mak, visited New Cross Hospital

A hospital trust has been explaining how its use of artificial intelligence (AI) is improving patients' experience from paperwork to surgery.

One system that listens to doctor-patient conversations and generates a summary had improved clinic letter turnaround times from up to a week to one to two days, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said.

New Cross Hospital also has two Da Vinci Xi robots working every week on cases in urology, colorectal, cardiothoracic and gynaecology surgery.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who visited, said he was impressed with how the trust was exploring the use of AI to speed up administration.

Consultant anaesthetist and chief clinical information officer at the trust Dr Yat Li demonstrated CLEARNotes, which listens to the conversations during a consultation and, according to the trust, generates a structured discussion summary, significantly reducing paperwork for clinicians.

Dr Li said the system had increased productivity by 25% in one clinic "while maintaining high standards of clinical safety and governance".

Surgeon David Mak has been discussing the use of AI with the government's Peter Kyle, who was joined on his visit by West Midlands mayor Richard Parker and trust chief executive Joe Chadwick-Bell

In terms of surgery, the trust stated that compared to traditional keyhole surgery, robotic surgery allowed "greater dexterity" and was easier to manipulate as "the instruments are controlled by a surgeon at a console using a 3D camera".

It also said it used My Pre-Op, an online pre-operative assessment questionnaire allowing patients to fill in an assessment at home before their procedure.

This "reduces hospital visits and helps a patient be fit for surgery", the trust added.

It stated digital technology used to deliver better patient care, boost productivity and streamline services at the trust had received government praise.

Kyle said: "To hear about all the different technologies being explored safely was inspiring.

"It was fantastic to hear and see how robotic surgery is benefiting patients by enabling shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times for patients."