NHS Lothian deploy Lenus Stratify® to address winter pressures
NHS Lothian uses Lenus Stratify® AI to identify high-risk COPD patients for winter care, helping reduce hospital admissions and proactively improve patient outcomes.
Lenus Health has partnered with NHS Lothian to deliver a winter pressures initiative using Lenus Stratify® models to risk stratify the patient population with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to help prioritise those at highest risk for a review.
Using routinely collected clinical data made securely available via the DataLoch collaboration between NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, the machine learning models are able to accurately predict the risk of patient events, such as exacerbations and unscheduled hospital admissions, giving GPs a valuable opportunity to review high risk patients and ensure their treatment is optimised prior to winter.
In partnership with NHS Lothian, Lenus Health calculated risk scores for 25,000 patients in the region resulting in over 5,000 patients being identified in over 100 GP practices to be prioritised for review over the winter months.
Deidentified data was used to calculate the risk scores to ensure patient confidentiality, with DataLoch securely reidentifying the patients before passing on to GPs to review and optimise treatments.
Our work with Lenus Health is an exciting step in unlocking the potential of data to better understand our patients and the risks they face
Jenny Long, Director of Primary Care for NHS Lothian
Jenny Long, Director of Primary Care for NHS Lothian, said “We recognise the role that data and machine learning can play in unlocking valuable insights to assist GPs in continuing to provide excellent care to their patients. Our work with Lenus Health is an exciting step in unlocking the potential of data to better understand our patients and the risks they face.”
The initial outputs show significant promise and have already informed the approach we are taking in advance of winter
Dr. Jeremy Chowings, Deputy Director Primary Care for NHS Lothian and GP and Partner at the Leith Surgery
Dr. Jeremy Chowings, Deputy Medical Director Primary Care for NHS Lothian and GP and Partner at the Leith Surgery said “The initial outputs show significant promise and have already informed the approach we are taking in advance of winter. This work underlines the importance of data and accurate data coding to allow us to maximise the benefits that AI approaches such as these can bring.”
COPD is a respiratory long-term condition associated with smoking and poor air quality. While COPD cannot be cured, patients’ symptoms can be managed effectively with access to appropriate care. However, patients with a COPD diagnosis account for 1 in 8 of all hospital admissions in the UK and COPD care is estimated to costs the NHS over £700 million per annum. A recent Asthma & Lung UK report identified that respiratory conditions such as COPD were a leading driver for winter pressures in the NHS.
We not only help patients keep out of hospital but reduce the burden that long-term conditions such as COPD has on the NHS, particularly over winter
Andy Simpson, Product Director at Lenus Health
Lenus Health Product Director Andy Simpson said “We are delighted to be working with a team who understands the importance of preventative healthcare models. Proven, ethical and evidence-based AI models are essential to help re-orientate care for chronic conditions from what is currently a reactive, high cost approach to one that is proactive and preventative. By doing so, we not only help patients keep out of hospital but reduce the burden that long-term conditions such as COPD has on the NHS, particularly over winter.”
Shane Burns Head of Data Science added “We are thrilled to see AI transforming patient care in the UK. I’m especially proud of the innovative work by the team at Lenus and how it’s making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients”
The use of Lenus Stratify® in NHS Lothian is supported by AstraZeneca and marks another groundbreaking advancement in the proactive treatment of COPD, aiming to break the winter crisis cycle. The models initially, developed in Glasgow with leading respiratory specialist, Professor Chris Carlin are now also being rolled out in England to proactively improve patient outcomes.
Lenus Health is committed to advancing the frontiers of digital health, continually developing and deploying AI and digital tools that enable people with major long-term conditions to live well for longer. The adoption of Lenus Stratify® underscores the company's dedication to empowering both patients and healthcare providers with the tools they need to achieve improved healthcare delivery and outcomes. Lenus Stratify® has been developed in accordance with ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 for quality and security and are registered with the appropriate regulatory bodies.