The head of technology at HSE, Damien McCallion, has revealed that they are trialling the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to pinpoint patients who may be at high risk and needing hospital admission during the winter. The trial is part of an initiative aimed at preventing these admissions. McCallion, who serves as the chief technology and transformation officer, expressed that many progressive digital undertakings, notably in data and analytics, are being implemented throughout the healthcare system.
One of the hospitals involved in these initiatives is deploying AI to manage the surge of patient pressure during the winter season. The hospital utilises AI to assess a mix of data, including primary care reimbursement data and hospital data, to discern the patients who are likely to be hospitalised in the winter. Once identified, these patients are preemptively connected to the team for elderly care to avert hospitalisation.
Apart from assisting in managing winter pressures, the analytics team also utilises healthcare data in population health planning. According to McCallion, this helps in understanding the system’s performance among various services and gauging population projections, which could greatly vary in demographics and health information across different parts of Dublin and Galway.
In a bid to advance their services further, the HSE will unveil various initiatives, including the launch of electronic health records, a mobile app for patients, and a reinforced telemedicine presence. However, the decision to apply electronic health records raised public concerns about the security of their personal data, especially in light of the 2021 HSE cyberattack.
McCallion acknowledged the cyberattack as a wake-up call to the significant threat faced by all public services. Although health systems are constantly under threat of attack, he affirmed that these risks are ubiquitous across all sectors and must be dealt with accordingly.
“Substantial investment has been made into our cybersecurity operations, with enhanced measures introduced to boost our internal capabilities. We’ve initiated numerous external tenders to augment our proficiency with external expert knowledge. Given the intricate nature of this field, it is essential to engage the most skilled specialists. Consequently, we’ve developed an information security department and are just about to confirm the appointment of a new chief information security officer on a full-time basis.”
Regrettably, Ireland has often been deemed to fall behind when it comes to digitising its healthcare service. Mr McCallion admitted that the comprehensive implementation of electronic health records could take some time.
“The focus is on making digital healthcare more accessible each passing year,” he affirmed. “We need to make further progress, but there are already numerous positive advancements underway.”