Artificial intelligence is helping health staff diagnose lung cancers and other issues quickly and accurately.
The new technology, more commonly known as AI, is in use for patients getting chest X-rays at the Friarage and James Cook hospitals.
The health group, formed of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, brought the Annalise AI system into use earlier this month.
Patients can be referred to the lung health team for an X-ray through a number of places, including a GP or from hospital departments including emergency care, outpatients or as an inpatient.
Clare Butt, advanced practitioner in radiology, said: “This is already supporting us in identifying potential issues straight away. This might not always be something we are initially looking for but which AI has helped to raise with us as a potential issue to look at.
“It’s a tool to help guide us and find anomalies before a full radiological report is carried out by the team.
“It is also helping us to prioritise the most urgent images and ensure these are seen first.
“It is ultimately helping us diagnose issues at the very earliest opportunity and provide earlier treatment and improved health outcomes.”
Consultant musculoskeletal radiologist Dr Maya Jafari said: “This is exciting times for our radiology department. This artificial intelligence tool will help radiologists and radiographers responsibly and safely prioritise our chest x-ray workload and make sure we can quickly identify patients who need further tests or specialist appointments.”
Across the country, £21m government funding was allocated to more than 60 NHS trusts across all regions of the country for the AI tool – to help with more than 600,000 chest X-rays performed each month in England.
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