An NHS and industry collaboration to improve the detection and management of blood clots has won a Health Service Journal Partnership Award.
The Newcastle Hospitals and Solventum collaboration which co created the Solventum™ Follow-Up Finder – Thrombosis has won Most Impactful Use of Technology on Clinical Practice.
The award for the innovative solution is the latest in a number of credible industry awards.
Haematology, digital and healthcare technology specialists have co developed a product which uses AI technology to speed up investigation, treatment and prevention of VTE hospital acquired blood clots.
Kate Musgrave, consultant haematologist, said:
We’re delighted to be recognised with this award. It is a testament to the dedication and innovation of our thrombosis team, who have worked tirelessly with healthcare technology partners at Solventum and the trust’s digital team to transform how we detect and respond to blood clots.
“This collaboration has not only enhanced patient safety, but also it sets a benchmark for how we use AI to streamline clinical processes and free up vital staff time.
“Using AI in this way has the potential to be rolled out more widely, and to identify a range of health issues for our patients.”
Previously, five specialist nurses at the Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary hospitals carried out manual searches of CT scans and ultrasound reports, to find inpatients with a VTE blood clot that had occurred since their admission to hospital.
- The technology uses Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to automatically identify thousands of clinically relevant findings in radiology reports.
- This then integrates with NHS systems, connecting directly with the electronic patient record and then the thrombosis team reviews all new diagnosis quickly and ensures the best care is given.
- The usage of this new technology has led to 50% increase in blood clot detection, a 40% reduction of avoidable hospital acquired blood clots and has freed up 2 hours of time per nurse, per day. These figures show the positive impacts this technology has on patient care.