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AI Software: Dr. Chris Bates, Director of Research and Analytics at TPP
A leading data analyst has praised the power of artificial intelligence (AI) after it helped reduce the number of patients missing GP appointments by almost a third.
Chris Bates, director of research and analysis at clinical software company TPP, said his company’s technology could save the cash-strapped NHS a fortune. No-shows cause over a million missed GP appointments each month – equivalent to one in 20 scheduled consultations.
This increases pressure on a healthcare system already creaking under the demands of an aging population.
Now Leeds-based TPP has developed an AI tool that predicts which patients are most likely to miss their appointments.
The company uses machine learning models to analyze patient behavior patterns based on a number of factors. Its algorithms analyze demographic details, including age, gender and appointment booking history.
Bates told the Mail that young men from lower socio-economic backgrounds living in and around cities were most likely to miss GP appointments.
Patients living closest to a GP practice were more likely to miss the consultation than patients living further away, although it is unclear why this is the case, he added.
Armed with information about the types of patients most likely to miss an appointment, GP practices can take steps to encourage them to show up, such as sending them a text or talking to them on the phone.
The idea is not to deprive patients of the opportunity to visit their GP based on the AI profile, but instead to encourage them to visit by giving them additional reminders.
“Too much hype around artificial intelligence in health care and too little ability to deliver it – we are changing that,” Bates said.
“This is a great example of what machine learning will bring to healthcare, helping to solve real-world problems for frontline teams and patients.”
According to the NHS’s own figures, missed appointments cost £216 million a year – enough to pay 2,325 full-time doctors.
Successful trials of artificial intelligence technology are taking place across the country in Norfolk.
“Since we started using the report, we have seen the DNA (non-participation) rate drop by 30 per cent, which equates to hundreds of visits since the pilot began,” said Karen Bell, head of surgery at the Trinity and Bowthorpe practice in Norwich.
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