The NHS workforce is under immense pressure; one of the major reasons for this, in addition to the recent workforce cutbacks, is also planned strike actions by NHS workers across England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. NHS workforce is now planning to build reliance on AI to plug this staffing gap. Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions are helping radiologists quickly compare and assess scans to enable quicker diagnoses and improve patient outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence, one of the hottest topics in radiology right now, will be one of the highlights of ECR again this year! A broad range of scientific sessions on AI, including machine learning, deep learning, and big data, are already waiting for you. Let us discuss with leading radiologists in the UK the scope and potential of AI in Radiology in the current times.
Dr. Andrew England - Senior Lecturer in Medical Imaging, University College Cork.
President - European Federation of Radiographers Societies.
"The Radiographer's role is more focused on image acquisition but has now evolved into image interpretation as well. Hence, we'll see many radiographers in the UK that will be reporting chest x-rays and skeletal x-ray examinations. This advanced practice for radiographers has moved in to combat workforce shortages, particularly in skeletal and Chest radiography. In addition, this has facilitated Radiologists to share more of their expertise in specialist areas."
Dr. Christina Malamateniou - Director, Postgraduate Radiography Programme, University of London
Incoming Chair - European Federation of Radiographers Societies.
"Different groups within the AI ecosystem are equally anxious about standards and guidance related to AI but, at the same time, excited about AI implementation.
Radiographers are responsible for ensuring patient safety, high-quality images for radiologists to review, and overall patient experience. In a recent study that Dr. Christina Malamateniou conducted, she found out that radiographers need more knowledge about AI. Most of the radiographers had to self-educate themselves using online resources that were not necessarily academically sound or accredited by professional bodies. This report will soon be published and available to read."
Topics of discussion included:
1. How aware are Radiologists/Radiographers of AI?
2. Does AI help reduce radiology-related costs?
3. What is the current uptake of AI, and what are the challenges?
4. How to be ready for the future? Is AI-related training necessary for radiographers and radiologists?
Also, some horizons gazing at the future of AI as the NHS workforce plans to rely on AI to plug staff gaps.
Key Highlights of the discussion.
Radiographers/radiological technologists should take advantage of AI as a clinical decision-support tool for the appropriate justification of examinations, including vetting. There is a severe national shortage of radiographers and radiologists in the UK, and NHS is considering introducing AI systems to help the staffing gap.
AI should enhance the radiographer's role in improving patient pathways and outcomes through AI-supported image interpretation to enable radiographers and radiological technologists to provide immediate patient results. Timely results would facilitate triage of patients flagging critical patients for additional imaging examinations or referral to other specialties, for example, emergency referrals for traumatic pathology on primary care imaging, etc.
A study presented at the conference last year also suggested that many radiographers need clarification on how these new intelligent systems work despite impressive performances reported by AI system developers. (Clare Rainey, lead researcher)
The Panel at this webinar discussed how to innovate to change the trajectory of these patients to have a controlled progression. The earlier we identify the disease, the better we can plan the intervention and overall prognosis.
In this insightful webinar, our expert panellists explored the latest developments and trends in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of Radiology. The session covered various aspects of AI, including cutting-edge technologies, real-world applications, and ethical considerations from a Radiologist's and Radiographer's points of view.
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