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| Google given access to UK patient records for research | Google given access to UK patient records for research |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Google has been given access to an estimated 1.6 million NHS patient records, it has been revealed. | Google has been given access to an estimated 1.6 million NHS patient records, it has been revealed. |
| The data-sharing agreement, revealed by New Scientist, includes full names as well as patient histories. | The data-sharing agreement, revealed by New Scientist, includes full names as well as patient histories. |
| Google says it will use the data to develop an early warning system for patients at risk of developing acute kidney injuries. | Google says it will use the data to develop an early warning system for patients at risk of developing acute kidney injuries. |
| But critics have questioned why it needs the data of all patients to create such a specific app. | But critics have questioned why it needs the data of all patients to create such a specific app. |
| Under the data-sharing agreement, Google's artificial intelligence division DeepMind will have access to all of the data of patients from the Royal Free, Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals in London going back over the past five years and continuing until 2017. | Under the data-sharing agreement, Google's artificial intelligence division DeepMind will have access to all of the data of patients from the Royal Free, Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals in London going back over the past five years and continuing until 2017. |
| The data remains encrypted, meaning that Google employees should not be able to identify anyone, according to the Royal Free Trust. | |
| Sam Smith, a co-ordinator of patient data campaign group MedConfidential, said: "The big question is why they want it. This a very rich data set. If you are someone who went to the A&E department, why is your data in this?" | Sam Smith, a co-ordinator of patient data campaign group MedConfidential, said: "The big question is why they want it. This a very rich data set. If you are someone who went to the A&E department, why is your data in this?" |
| Google said that it needed general data in order to identify patients who might be at risk of developing acute kidney injuries (AKI). It plans to use the data to develop an app known as Streams that will alert doctors when someone is at risk of developing AKI. | Google said that it needed general data in order to identify patients who might be at risk of developing acute kidney injuries (AKI). It plans to use the data to develop an app known as Streams that will alert doctors when someone is at risk of developing AKI. |
| AKI is a contributing factor in up to 20% of emergency hospital admissions, according to the NHS. It estimates that around a quarter of cases are preventable. | AKI is a contributing factor in up to 20% of emergency hospital admissions, according to the NHS. It estimates that around a quarter of cases are preventable. |
| It is not clear how exactly Google will use the data to provide this early warning system but the BBC understands that no artificial intelligence will be used. | It is not clear how exactly Google will use the data to provide this early warning system but the BBC understands that no artificial intelligence will be used. |
| Mapping health | Mapping health |
| Dominic King, a senior scientist at Google DeepMind, said: "Access to timely and relevant clinical data is essential for doctors and nurses looking for signs of patient deterioration. This work focuses on acute kidney injuries that contribute to 40,000 deaths a year in the UK, many of which are preventable. | Dominic King, a senior scientist at Google DeepMind, said: "Access to timely and relevant clinical data is essential for doctors and nurses looking for signs of patient deterioration. This work focuses on acute kidney injuries that contribute to 40,000 deaths a year in the UK, many of which are preventable. |
| "The kidney specialists who have led this work are confident that the alerts our system generates will transform outcomes for their patients. For us to generate these alerts it is necessary for us to look at a range of tests taken at different time intervals." | "The kidney specialists who have led this work are confident that the alerts our system generates will transform outcomes for their patients. For us to generate these alerts it is necessary for us to look at a range of tests taken at different time intervals." |
| It is believed that doctors at the Royal Free approached Google about developing the system. | It is believed that doctors at the Royal Free approached Google about developing the system. |
| Google has not ruled out the use of the data for other purposes but said it will only ever be used for improving healthcare and will never be linked to other Google accounts or products. | Google has not ruled out the use of the data for other purposes but said it will only ever be used for improving healthcare and will never be linked to other Google accounts or products. |
| Google does have big ambitions in healthcare. | Google does have big ambitions in healthcare. |
| In 2013 it launched Calico, a firm set up to look at ways to tackle ageing while X, Google's research arm, launched Baseline in 2014 - an ambitious plan to map genetic information to gain a picture of what makes humans healthy. | In 2013 it launched Calico, a firm set up to look at ways to tackle ageing while X, Google's research arm, launched Baseline in 2014 - an ambitious plan to map genetic information to gain a picture of what makes humans healthy. |