To begin with, the two organizations will focus on transforming the experience for outpatient referrals to neurologists. According to The Walton Centre, patients with headaches make up the largest number of such referrals, with a three-month average waiting period to be seen by a consultant.
TCS will develop an artificial intelligence-based chatbot, which will interact with patients being referred to a neurology or headache specialist and collect details of their condition and the symptoms through a structured set of questions. This will be used to compile a detailed medical history which clinicians can review before the first appointment with that patient and recommend a further course of action.
“The chatbot system also has potential to be extended into other areas of medicine, which could benefit even more patients. We are working closely with TCS and our other specialist partners to ensure the new solution is effective and safe and improves efficiency and patient outcomes,” said Dr Anita Krishnan, divisional clinical director for neurology, The Walton Centre, and a consultant neurologist specialising in headaches.
Depending on the clinician’s assessment, a patient may be put on a fast-track to be examined by a consultant or offered guidance on alleviating symptoms while they await their turn. The chatbot will reduce the need for specialist consultants, whose time is very scarce, to spend their first appointment asking those questions. The solution, which will be developed as a prototype, will leverage cloud native, conversational AI, to ensure clinical safety and effectiveness.
“These technologies and solutions will help reduce waiting times for patients while improving the productivity of specialist consultants. This creates a blueprint for similar digital innovation in other clinical settings,” said Shalini Mathur, Business Unit Head, Public Services for UK, Europe & ANZ, TCS.
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