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Saturday 31 August 2024

Another version of the headline



AI could help GPs pinpoint patients at risk of dying from heart problems

Artificial intelligence could help GPs identify patients most at risk of developing deadly heart conditions, a study has found.

The AI system, known as Optimise, was trained by academics at the University of Leeds using health records of more than two million people over the age of 30 from between 1998 and 2008.


Hmm - another version of the headline could be shorter by three letters - 

AI could help pinpoint patients at risk of dying from heart problems

AI nannying perhaps, but it is not clear what the role of the GP is here, apart from being a treatment gateway. Could be one of those wedges we hear about, the ones with a thin end.

4 comments:

dearieme said...

"patients at risk of dying from heart problems": OK, but once you've identified them what are you going to do about it? Tell 'em to stop smoking, lose weight, and walk a bit more? Everyone knows that already.

DiscoveredJoys said...

One of my pet peeves (if you don't like this one I have others) is self help advice. Self help gurus often dispense advice (helpful or not) through the spoken or written word. Even if the advice is useful people tend not to follow it well, if at all. Apparently many people do not even take their prescribed medicines, and most attempts to lose weight fail.

So even if AI accurately identifies people at risk of dying from heart problems then persuading people to follow advice requires another skill set entirely. Unfortunately many doctors, practice nurses, and some pharmacists do not look beyond dispensing pills (nor are they paid to).

Sam Vega said...

What jobs would all those Africans on the dinghies get, then? I guess the engineers could switch to software engineering, which would double their value.

A K Haart said...

dearieme - maybe that's what the GP is supposed to do after the AI system has done its stuff - tell 'em to stop smoking, lose weight, and walk a bit more.

DJ - yes, many people probably have an elevated heart disease risk because even knowing what they should do about it, they can't do it, not consistently. Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists can't resolve that problem.

Sam - it's hard to say what they might do, maybe organise more carnivals in London?