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Yorkshire and Humber AHSN shares new report on artificial intelligence for guided clinical coaching

Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) has published a new report that focuses on how artificial intelligence (AI) and personalised care can help improve health and wellbeing.

Entitled ‘Patient feedback on the benefits of artificial intelligence guided clinical coaching’, the 31-page document focuses on how a personalised and tailored approach – developed by HN, an artificial intelligence-guided healthcare company – can support patients with long term health conditions, to reduce unplanned emergency care and hospitalisation.

The company has developed a solution to focus on patients with complex multiple needs, by using an AI algorithm that looks at patient data and identifies those patients at risk of becoming increased users of clinical services.

Patients who take part in the service are then screened and have access to a clinical coach, providing sessions to ’empower the patient’ and ‘improve care coordination’ with other services.

Within the report, the document highlights the aim is to: identify elements of the approach that have the greatest positive impact and acceptance from users or potential users of the service; encourage the sharing of insights and experience that will enhance and strengthen the service, as well as its delivery to maximise positive impact; and encourage patients who are most likely to benefit from the programme.

The report also records and compares the views, experiences, and expectations of the three different groups of people used in the programme. These groups include:

  • Those patients currently using or who have been supported by the service.
  • Patients who have been approached to participate and decided not to enrol on the service.
  • A similar matched group of people who are not eligible to be considered for the service as they live outside of the pilot sites. The people within this group bring the experience and insight from a similar age group and similar clinical experience perspective of living with a variety of long-term health conditions.

The report discussed how patients who participated in the service were screened and given access to clinical coaching – a telephone-based clinician-led service – in order to look at the behaviours, events and circumstances proven to be most effective in reducing the need for unplanned emergency hospital attendance.

Outlining their role in providing personalised care, the report highlighted that clinical coaches help people to: understand and manage their illness; address specific triggers that cause potentially avoidable ill health events; grow the patient’s mental and physical wellbeing; help prepare for planned hospital appointments; and identify them so that they can access the relevant NHS support for specific health needs.

Graham Prestwich, Public and Patient Involvement Lead, added: “The aim of this work was to help identify which elements of the service were considered by users and potential users to be most beneficial, and which elements they found easier or more difficult to engage with. The feedback also provides invaluable insights into ways to help further improve the service and increasing the benefits for users.”

To read the report in full, please click here.