News round-up (9 August 2024)

There is some good news this week for supporters of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, with the announcement that the government is to give the NHS funding to develop an AI project designed to improve the efficiency of prescription delivery. At the same time, a survey has revealed that three-quarters of NHS staff support the use of AI in health care, while a new research project demonstrates the potential of AI to speed up detection of prostate cancer.

 

Main stories from the week

Covid can lead to cognitive problems three years after infection, study finds

Many people hospitalised with Covid-19 continue to have cognitive and psychiatric problems three years after they were infected, according to a new study.

Problematic smartphone use in teens linked to anxiety and depression, studies find

Teenagers who report problematic smartphone use are more likely to have anxiety, depression or insomnia, according to two new studies.

Thousands of people omitted from mental health statistics

Thousands of patients are omitted from official health statistics because they are not seen by hospitals or GPs, according to a new analysis of ambulance data in England.

Andrew Dilnot says ditching of social care plans is a ‘tragedy’

Sir Andrew Dilnot, who set out proposals for major changes to social care funding in a 2011 report, has described the government’s decision to abandon those plans as a “tragedy”.

 

Other stories from the week

One in four of Generation Z have long-term mental health issues

One million 18-24 year olds, almost a quarter of the age group, are struggling with their mental health, according to a new survey carried out by consultancy PWC.

This figure compares to an average of 8% across the entire population.

The research also found that almost 50% of inactive youngsters said they would be more likely to return to work if employers offered more mental health support, while one in five said that their condition was preventing them from pursuing their favoured career.

The consultancy firm said the figures showed it would be very difficult for Rachel Reeves to meet her plans for economic growth unless the government was able to address the mental health crisis among young people. Barret Kupelian, chief economist at PwC UK, said: “If the new government is to realise its economic growth ambitions it will need to focus on young people to avoid the long-term impacts young workers felt after the 2008 financial crisis.”

Government announces NHS AI funding

The government has announced that the NHS will be one of the beneficiaries of its new artificial intelligence (AI) projects, which will between them receive £32m in funding.

In all, 98 projects involving 200 organisations will receive funding.

One of the projects is designed to improve efficiency of prescription delivery within the NHS. Anteam, an AI company, will work with the health sector to match the delivery needs of hospitals to existing delivery journeys. This will unlock underused capacity, cutting carbon emissions and delivering better patient experience.

Feryal Clark, the digital government and AI minister, said the technology would “improve experiences for patients by making it easier to get their prescriptions to them.” She added: “We want technology to boost growth and deliver change right across the board, and I’m confident projects like these will help us realise that ambition.”

Virtual reality prepares homeless people mentally for independent living

A new virtual reality (VR) project designed to help mentally prepare homeless people live independently has been launched by Apax, a social enterprise that provides supported housing for homeless people.

Apax, which supports more than 140 people across London, is combining the Meta Quest 2 VR headset with the TRIPP meditation app to improve residents’ mental health recovery and boost their digital skills at the same time.

Israa Qaddourah, project manager at Apax, said: “The vast majority of our residents have the potential to live independently one day. Our job is to provide the services that ensure they can confidently complete that journey. Our new VR Wellness programme has delivered incredible results that have improved mental health and provided the confidence that people need for a more fulfilling life.”

According to Crisis, the homelessness charity, 45% of people experiencing homelessness have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, rising to 80% for rough sleepers.

AI helps doctors detect prostate cancer

A team of US researchers has developed an AI algorithm that can identify prostate cancer on MRI scans.

Usually, prostate cancer is detected by radiologists through a series of MRI sequences. Researchers have previously attempted to train machine learning programmes with MRI imagery to spot prostate cancer. But they typically need annotated MRI scans – that is, scans with diagnostic notes added by radiologists or pathologists to specific lesions which may be cancerous.

In this project, the researchers trained a convolutional neural network – a type of AI designed to be good at analysing images – to examine scans without needing specific information about where the lesion is.

They then tested their AI out on data from prostate examinations. They found that the algorithm worked as well as experienced radiologists at detecting prostate cancer, but the combination of the algorithm and radiologists’ findings performed better than both individually.

Majority of NHS staff support using AI in patient care, survey finds

More than three quarters of NHS staff (76%) support the use of AI to help with patient care, with 81% also in favour of its use for administrative tasks, according to a survey for the Health Foundation, a think tank.

The survey was completed by 1,292 NHS staff members and 7,200 nationally representative members of the UK public.

The public are broadly receptive to the use of AI in health care, with 54% supporting its use in patient care and 61% for administrative purposes.  Nonetheless, a significant minority are not supportive. About 18% of the public and 11% of NHS staff think that AI will make care quality worse.

Among the public, young people aged 16-24 are less likely to believe that AI will improve care quality compared to other age groups, and women are less likely than men to believe that AI will improve care quality.  The top two concerns mentioned by respondents were AI’s potential impact on the interpersonal aspects of health care and its potential impact on decision-making accuracy.

Study on male access to mental health services

Men have been invited to take part in a research study to improve access to mental health services on the Isle of Man.

Manx Care, a health care provider, said the study would form part of a “targeted approach” to updating its approach to offering support to those who need it. While the research is designed to improve accessibility services on the island, it will also feed into the suicide prevention strategy.

Changes introduced as a result of information gathered through a questionnaire would be used to remove barriers to people asking for support, Manx Care said.

Figures show that from 2006 to 2021 there were 156 deaths recorded as suicide on the island, 74% of which were male.

Ciara Whelan, an assistant clinical psychologist for Manx Care’s Community Wellbeing Service who is carrying out the research, said: “If we are able to better understand what deters males from accessing psychological support, we can take a more targeted approach to updating our services.”