The AI system can be used to support nurses and doctors in providing high-quality care, says expert
A team of researchers, led by one of
Indian origin, has developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI) based system
that can help reduce the risk of unexpected deaths by identifying hospitalised
patients at high risk of deteriorating health.
Rapid deterioration among hospitalised
patients is the primary cause of unplanned admission to the intensive care unit
(ICU).
But CHARTWatch, acted as an early warning
system to improve patient health, and alert healthcare workers to reduce
unexpected deaths, said the team in the paper published in CMAJ (Canadian
Medical Association Journal).
"As AI tools are increasingly being
used in medicine, it is important that they are evaluated carefully to ensure
that they are safe and effective,” said lead author Dr Amol Verma, a
clinician-scientist at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Canada.
“Our findings suggest that AI-based early
warning systems are promising for reducing unexpected deaths in
hospitals," Verma said.
CHARTWatch's efficiency was evaluated on
13,649 patients aged 55-80 years who were admitted to the general internal
medicine (GIM) (about 9,626 in the pre-intervention period and 4,023 used
CHARTWatch). About 8,470 admitted to subspecialty units did not use CHARTWatch.
Regular communications helped reduce
deaths as CHARTWatch engaged clinicians with real-time alerts, twice-daily
emails to nursing teams, and daily emails to the palliative care team, said the
researchers.
A care pathway was also created for
high-risk patients which prompted increased monitoring by nurses, and enhanced
communication between nurses and physicians. This encouraged physicians to
reassess patients.
The AI system, Verma said, can be used to
support nurses and doctors in providing high-quality care.
Co-author Dr Muhammad Mamdani, director of
the University of Toronto said that the study evaluates the outcomes associated
with the complex deployment of the entire AI solution.
Understanding the real-world impacts of
this promising technology is important, Mamdani said.
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