Interim analysis from NHS funded AI study indicates that predictive AI is safe, effective and accepted by users in respiratory care

The first of its kind AI study, funded by the NHS to investigate the use of predictive AI in direct care of patients, has encouraging interim primary objective analyses now available, which support that predictive AI is not only safe and effective in healthcare but also well-accepted by users.

The news comes on the back of a recent UK-wide survey by The Health Foundation which found both the public and NHS staff support the use of AI in health care.

Presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Conference in Vienna, the findings come from the ground-breaking DYNAMIC-AI study, a collaboration between Lenus Health, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub to implement and evaluate the use of predictive AI in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

COPD is a serious lung condition affecting 3 million people in the UK and the second most common cause of hospital admissions. A national audit of COPD care in the UK further revealed that nearly half of the COPD patients admitted are readmitted within 90 days, highlighting the necessity for more effective initial treatment and follow-up care, especially in the lead up to winter when admission rates double.

Professor Chris Carlin from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who presented the DYNAMIC-AI findings at the ERS Conference, said: “Our breaking new DYNAMIC-AI results show that investing in AI in healthcare could offer remarkable benefits to both patients and the NHS. We have shown that predictive AI can be used safely and effectively in patient care, this could really make a difference in allowing us to make earlier and more targeted interventions."

Funding for the study was awarded to Lenus Health through The Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award, one of the NHS AI Lab programmes led by NHS England. The AI Award was designed to accelerate the testing and evaluation of artificial intelligence technologies that meet the strategic aims of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Lenus Health has achieved significant milestones in completing the DYNAMIC-AI study objectives funded by the programme with 130 patients recruited. The study validates the company’s existing suite of Lenus Stratify® models, including mortality and admission risk prediction, and paves the way for broader applications of AI in healthcare.

The technology investigated by the DYNAMIC-AI study, Lenus Stratify® has also been selected to pilot the MHRA’s new Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) programme, which aims to accelerate patient access to innovative and transformative medical devices. The pilot will test the main elements of the pathway and provide informative learning and feedback that helps to build the future IDAP and support wider adoption and further rapid regulatory approval of the AI as a Medical Device.

Lenus Health CEO, Paul McGinness, said: "Making predictive AI insights available to clinical teams is the innovation that can truly reorientate care provision for COPD to a preventative model and can support delivery of personalised care for patients, which we know will improve health outcomes and reduce the significant economic burden of chronic conditions on the NHS."