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| Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say | Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say |
| (4 months later) | |
| Doctors could be replaced by computers in analysing X-rays and samples of diseased tissue amid plans for further investment | |
| Denis Campbell Health policy editor | |
| Tue 12 Sep 2017 19.43 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 17.07 GMT | |
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| Computers could start diagnosing patients’ illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe. | Computers could start diagnosing patients’ illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe. |
| Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS’s top doctor said. | Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS’s top doctor said. |
| NHS England plans to invest more of its £120bn budget in AI to speed up its application to medicine and the health service, especially the task of analysing “huge swaths” of the information collected from patients about their symptoms. | NHS England plans to invest more of its £120bn budget in AI to speed up its application to medicine and the health service, especially the task of analysing “huge swaths” of the information collected from patients about their symptoms. |
| “We know from a number of studies that have been done that in, certain circumstances, AI is better than doctors at diagnosing certain conditions,” said Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the organisation’s national medical director. | “We know from a number of studies that have been done that in, certain circumstances, AI is better than doctors at diagnosing certain conditions,” said Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the organisation’s national medical director. |
| “It’s possible that certain types – and there are many different types of AI – will be able to read X-rays. I’ve been told by people who are developing this sort of stuff that’s within a four-year timeframe. We also know that this kind of approach can be used for reading histopathology slides. | “It’s possible that certain types – and there are many different types of AI – will be able to read X-rays. I’ve been told by people who are developing this sort of stuff that’s within a four-year timeframe. We also know that this kind of approach can be used for reading histopathology slides. |
| “All of this takes us into very new territory and it’s not a long way over there, it’s actually here now,” he told delegates at NHS England’s Health and Care Innovation Expo in Manchester. | “All of this takes us into very new territory and it’s not a long way over there, it’s actually here now,” he told delegates at NHS England’s Health and Care Innovation Expo in Manchester. |
| Histopathology involves the examination of breast lumps or specimens of someone’s bowel, removed because they have suspected cancer. | Histopathology involves the examination of breast lumps or specimens of someone’s bowel, removed because they have suspected cancer. |
| Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, quoted a recent Lancet editorial on how greater use of AI could lead to “big shifts” in radiology and pathology from doctors to machines. | Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, quoted a recent Lancet editorial on how greater use of AI could lead to “big shifts” in radiology and pathology from doctors to machines. |
| “We have a great opportunity to get smarter about the way we are using AI and machine learning with datasets to improve the quality of clinical care,” he said. | “We have a great opportunity to get smarter about the way we are using AI and machine learning with datasets to improve the quality of clinical care,” he said. |
| “The Lancet pointed out that over the course of a career a radiologist would probably read over 10m images, a dermatologist might analyse over 200,000 skin lesions and a pathologist will review nearly 100,000 specimens – whereas there is great potential to actually automate huge swathes of what is actually happening in radiology and to some extent pathology and dermatology,” Stevens added. | “The Lancet pointed out that over the course of a career a radiologist would probably read over 10m images, a dermatologist might analyse over 200,000 skin lesions and a pathologist will review nearly 100,000 specimens – whereas there is great potential to actually automate huge swathes of what is actually happening in radiology and to some extent pathology and dermatology,” Stevens added. |
| There is emerging evidence from around the world that machines can help identify patients who have autism or Alzheimer’s disease. | There is emerging evidence from around the world that machines can help identify patients who have autism or Alzheimer’s disease. |
| Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said computers could be routinely diagnosing health conditions – even before they display symptoms – by the time the NHS turns 80 in 2028. | Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said computers could be routinely diagnosing health conditions – even before they display symptoms – by the time the NHS turns 80 in 2028. |
| “The changes in medical innovation are likely to transform humanity by as much in the next 25 years as the internet has in the last 25 years,” he told the 5,000 delegates. | “The changes in medical innovation are likely to transform humanity by as much in the next 25 years as the internet has in the last 25 years,” he told the 5,000 delegates. |
| “So what might medicine look like when the NHS is 80? Well the first thing is we may well not be going to doctors for a diagnosis, we might be going to computers instead, who will be looking at the 300,000 biomarkers in every single drop of blood, mashing that with big data information about everyone else’s biomarkers,” he said. | “So what might medicine look like when the NHS is 80? Well the first thing is we may well not be going to doctors for a diagnosis, we might be going to computers instead, who will be looking at the 300,000 biomarkers in every single drop of blood, mashing that with big data information about everyone else’s biomarkers,” he said. |
| The revolution in genomics is central to easier, potentially more accurate diagnosis, Hunt added. “When we do go to a doctor, he or she may be comparing your medical record with our fully sequenced genome and giving us much more accurate predictive information. | The revolution in genomics is central to easier, potentially more accurate diagnosis, Hunt added. “When we do go to a doctor, he or she may be comparing your medical record with our fully sequenced genome and giving us much more accurate predictive information. |
| “We may be in a world where if we show any symptoms of a disease we consider that a sign of failure – because the name of the game will be to catch diseases when we are asymptomatic and we have a much better chance of being able to nip illness in the bud.” | “We may be in a world where if we show any symptoms of a disease we consider that a sign of failure – because the name of the game will be to catch diseases when we are asymptomatic and we have a much better chance of being able to nip illness in the bud.” |
| NHS | |
| Artificial intelligence (AI) | |
| Simon Stevens | |
| Health | |
| news | |
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