Advancing the future of UK stroke care with deep AI

RapidAI provides AI-based solutions to optimize care delivery and support clinical decision-making. Here, they discuss the vital opportunities to advance stroke care by implementing AI technology

Cerebrovascular conditions are the fourth leading cause of death in the UK – 75% of which are strokes. It is also the single largest cause of complex disability among the 1.3 million
stroke survivors in the UK.

The number of strokes that occur each year in the UK is projected to increase by as much as 60% by 2035 due to changing demographics, an aging population, and an increased rate of chronic health conditions. Combined with the fact that the number of stroke survivors living with a disability is projected to increase by a third over the same period, regulators and clinical leaders have recognized that major proactive measures need to be taken to mitigate and curb these alarming trends.

NHS Long Term Plan

In 2019, while the UK was confronted with serious challenges spanning workforce shortages, funding pressures, and increased demand for services, the National Health Service (NHS) announced the launch of its Long Term Plan. Developed in conjunction with frontline health and care staff, patients, and other experts, the updated plan from the NHS detailed its goals for investing in the healthcare areas that matter most, from providing high-quality, lifesaving treatment and care for patients and their families to reducing pressure on the NHS staff and investing in exciting new technologies.

In the plan, which named stroke a national priority, regulators specifically cited better prevention, treatment, and care for stroke patients as critical areas to focus on. Additionally, it called for national support in scaling technology to ensure more patients have access to life-changing treatments, including the use of AI interpretation of CT and MRI scans to support clinical decisions for thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Driven by a concerted effort to advance stroke care to align with the broader vision outlined in the Long Term Plan, by June 2023, 86% of integrated stroke delivery networks had implemented AI stroke-diagnosis technology, with a goal of eventually rolling out the technology to 100% of stroke networks.

Identifying ways to enhance the quality of stroke care technology remains a significant priority in improving stroke patient outcomes throughout the UK. Recently, leaders from across the world – including clinicians, regulators, and other critical stakeholders – met for the Advancing Stroke Treatment with Resources, Integration, and Delivery (ASTRID) meeting to share their experiences and discuss best practices, aiming to advance stroke care in the UK further.

Among the topics discussed at ASTRID, one emerged as the frontrunner: the transformative impact of AI in advancing stroke care. Innovative deep AI solutions—that reshape clinical workflows improve communication among care teams, and ensure compliance with industry-specific regulations—emphasize advanced technology’s critical role in shaping stroke care’s future.

The future of deep clinical AI

Intuitive clinical workflow technology facilitates informed decision-making, such as pinpointing locations of anomalies and supplying specific quantitative data to physicians, enabling them to determine the optimal course of action for each patient. These solutions also help physicians manage a higher volume of cases, streamlining and standardizing processes and abiding by regulatory compliance – ultimately resulting in more consistent, quality care.

When it comes to stroke, time is of the essence. Deep clinical AI medical imaging analysis technology can help improve accuracy in diagnosis and support physicians by serving as a second set of eyes – relieving them of some of the enormous pressure they face when having to prioritize their efforts to make quick treatment decisions. For cases when there is suspicion of stroke signals, such as left ventricular occlusions (LVOs), AI solutions can automatically identify regions of the brain and deliver real-time notifications to physicians, providing precise insights into medical images, including specific quantitative data to determine the best course of action for each patient and reduce overall time to treatment.

The adaptive nature of deep clinical AI solutions allows hospitals to tailor their IT environments to suit specific needs, accommodating fluctuations in demand and varying clinician workflows. AI-powered systems facilitate better communication among care teams by organizing and centralizing patient information. Advanced technology can be leveraged to further streamline and operationalize multi-step processes, connecting physicians through an easy-to-use platform for clinical data updates, image previewing, and communication.

These solutions comply with industry- specific regulations, such as the Data Protection Act in the UK, helping healthcare organizations meet their regulatory obligations without bearing the full burden of compliance themselves. This ensures that patient data remains secure and compliant with relevant privacy laws. Deep clinical AI solutions can also contribute to quality control measures by standardizing and improving the accuracy of diagnoses and treatment plans, adhering to high-quality standards aligned with regulatory expectations.

Across the UK, physicians are leveraging deep clinical AI solutions to advance stroke care and improve patient outcomes. A great example of this is RapidAI’s stroke platform, which automates image processing and analysis and provides easy-to-read, near-real-time views of the brain. It also gives clinicians standardized results for assessing whether a patient is eligible for endovascular treatment, minimizing the variability associated with interpretation by individual clinicians. Deep clinical AI solutions deliver the clinical, operational, and financial value that hospitals seek – from reducing door-in-door-out times to helping physicians make more informed treatment decisions faster; these tools increase efficiencies throughout the patient journey and offer more informed decision-making that can change patient outcomes.

Future-proofed medical care

Technology developments continue to move at light speed. For health systems to keep up, cutting-edge technology, such as deep clinical AI solutions, should be at the forefront of conversations to ensure medical care is prepared for future advancements. The solutions that deliver the most value pair clinical validation, operational efficiencies, and financial return while being adaptable for future advancements in new disease states. Stroke care enhancements are already making traction across the UK, but the possibilities to impact other disease states are limitless.