"Doctor in your pocket": UK launches AI-powered medical chatbot – Українські Національні Новини
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The UK is offering patients access to an “artificial intelligence therapist” for initial consultations as part of healthcare system reforms. This initiative aims to reduce the burden on doctors and shorten queues that exceed 7.4 million people.
Patients in the UK will be offered to consult an “artificial intelligence therapist” instead of a live doctor – at least as the first instance. This is stated in a large-scale ten-year plan to reform the National Health Service (NHS), presented by Health Minister Wes Streeting, UNN reports with reference to TheTimes.
As part of this reform, the NHS mobile app will receive an update with the integration of artificial intelligence. The new “My Companion” service will, according to the minister, be a digital assistant that will help manage symptoms, refer to doctors or emergency departments, suggest which medications to take, and monitor conditions that require long-term supervision.
“This will give all patients information about their health condition, if they have one, or about the procedure, if they need it,” Streeting said at an event in Blackpool.
According to him, the new system will also help answer questions that people often forget or are embarrassed to ask during a personal consultation.
The integration of the new technology is planned for the next three years. For this purpose, 10 billion pounds sterling will be used – additional funding for the NHS, allocated by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of the review of public spending.
It is expected that the use of artificial intelligence will reduce the burden on doctors, shorten queues, which currently exceed 7.4 million people, and make the NHS more efficient.
“Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing our healthcare system,” the minister stressed, noting that abandoning innovation carries an “existential risk” for the NHS.
A separate item of the plan is the launch of the “My Choice” tool in the NHS mobile app. It will allow patients to compare hospitals and family doctors and choose where to go on their own. “It will show patients everything from the nearest pharmacy to the best hospital for heart surgery across the country, and patients will be able to choose based on their preferences,” Streeting explained.
He also stressed that the transparency of data on waiting times, treatment outcomes and satisfaction will encourage hospitals to improve their services.
“If wealthy people want instant information about their own health, they can pay for an app that allows them to talk to a doctor on the phone around the clock, but working-class people can’t do that,” Streeting also stressed.
“The National Health Service seems increasingly slow and outdated for a generation that organizes their lives with the touch of a button. If you’re annoyed that Deliveroo won’t deliver your dinner in less than an hour, how will you feel when you’re told to wait a year for knee surgery?” he added.
According to the minister, modernization is not only about convenience, but also about the survival of the NHS, because young people may refuse the National Health Service through their taxes.
In addition to technical innovations, the plan includes social initiatives: a pilot project will be launched to attract a thousand new NHS employees from regions most affected by unemployment. According to Streeting, “the health service should also act as an engine of local economic growth, providing opportunities for training and work for local residents.”
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