Although the government and private sector are pushing AI in healthcare, not only are there worries about legal implications, GPs want more guidance.
On one level, the government’s continued push towards AI in healthcare is having an impact. Four out of five care providers have said that they now use digital social care records.
An estimated 30 million administrative hours will be saved per year through this digital-first approach, the government states, so carers can spend more time looking after those with care needs, giving back at least 20 minutes per care worker per shift.
“This government is driving digital innovation, and digital care records are making a major difference for people drawing on care and their carers,” said minister of state for care, Stephen Kinnock, speaking at Kallar Lodge, a residential care home in Dagenham, in early December.
“As we shift more care out of hospital and into the community, digital transformation is critical to ensure we create a coordinated system of social care and primary care,” he continued.
The push has been embraced by the private sector too. To give just one example, an independent evaluation at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), which is using Proximie’s intelligence suite across two NHS robotic thoracic surgery lists, has found that it reduced surgical procedure lengths by nearly 20 minutes per case on average.
“These results reflect tangible, real improvements that can help reduce cancellations, make better use of NHS resources, and ultimately allow more patients to receive the care they need sooner,” said Andrea Bille, consultant thoracic surgeon at the Trust.
Few safety nets
The move to digital is undoubtedly unstoppable, but the journey is not seamless.
At the end of November, the UN World Health Organization warned that while the use of artificial intelligence is accelerating in healthcare, basic legal safety nets that protect patients and health workers are lacking.
In the first comprehensive assessment of how AI is being adopted and regulated in health systems across Europe, although nearly all recognise that AI could transform healthcare, only four countries have a dedicated national strategy and a further seven are developing one.
“Without clear strategies, data privacy, legal guardrails and investment in AI literacy, we risk deepening inequities rather than reducing them,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe.
There is a deeper problem that technology is moving more quickly than medical professionals can cope with.
A new Nuffield Trust and Royal College of General Practitioners survey has found that although 28% of GPs say they use AI tools to help with their work, there is confusion about which tools to use and how, due to a lack of consistent national guidance or formal AI training.
With general practice under immense pressure, GPs say AI is mainly helping them to reduce overtime work and the burden of admin, but the use of AI currently depends too heavily on a postcode lottery of local policies developed by their practice, primary care network and Integrated Care Boards. GPs often have to make decisions about which tools to use based on peer experience or direct marketing from AI companies.
“The government is pinning its hopes on the potential of AI to transform the NHS, but there is a huge chasm between policy ambitions and the current disorganised reality of how AI is being rolled out and used in general practice,” said Nuffield Trust director of research and policy Becks Fisher.
