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Using AI to reduce risks of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Wales
Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly seen as an important tool that can help improve quality and efficiency of care in emergency medical services and the wider healthcare sector.
Within the United Kingdom, approximately 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) take place annually, and despite resuscitation efforts from NHS ambulance services, survival and hospital discharge figures currently range from 2.2% to 12%. Despite being crucial, the evidence suggests that early recognition of OHCA by call takers within ambulance services is not achieved in around 25% of calls.
Corti, a Copenhagen based technology company, has developed an AI system to support and assist call takers with recognition of OHCA. The technology has already been implemented into ambulance services internationally.
The ASSIST study – which launched in December 2020 and is funded by the Assuring Autonomy International Programme within the University of York – aims to work with the various project collaborators, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST), University of York, Corti, Human Factors Everywhere and Thimbleby Works, to adapt the existing Corti AI platform for use within WAST.
This will include exploring ambulance service stakeholders’ understanding and attitudes towards the safety of using AI as a supportive decision tool in OHCA recognition and to create a clinical safety case for an AI decision support system.
The study consists of three work packages:
Defining the real world - Work package 1 is research-based and includes semi structured interviews with employees within WAST, including call handlers, paramedics, call centre managers, IT staff, and risk and quality improvement managers. The aim of the interviews is to understand employees’ perceptions of AI in relation to training, effect on working practices, confidence in the safety of the system, interaction with users and potential barriers and enablers for adoption.
Development and safety assurance
- Work package 2 is classed as service evaluation and consists of the development of a safety case to determine the safety requirements of AI implementation. This will be based on the evaluation of documents provided by Corti regarding the AI system, and analysis of the AI model (e.g., testing and inspection of the model).
Embedding into the real world
Work package 3 contributes to best practice and standardisation for the safety assurance and regulation of AI products through stakeholder engagement. This involves engaging with stakeholders for the regulatory and ambulance service domains to build a community of practice.
