Provide’s Physiotherapy Outpatient Service is working with the organisation’s Technology Team to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help deliver better outcomes for its service users.
A recent report by think tank Reform found that AI can analyse data collected on wearable technology, such as fitness trackers, and help clinicians support changes in patients’ behaviour.
Exercise is essential for physiotherapy treatment to be successful and the ability to track and monitor a patient’s physical activity and frequency of exercise would be highly beneficial for the service.
Alex Kraszewski, a team lead physiotherapist for Provide’s Physiotherapy Outpatient Service, said:
“A major focus on the delivery of our Physiotherapy service with Provide relates to educating our patients on how to self-manage their pain or condition.”
“Often, patients are unaware of how much or little physical activity they are doing, and using wearable technology will help us monitor, increase or decrease this activity, and ultimately improve treatment outcomes.”
Digital technology can help the NHS become more efficient and deliver better outcomes for patients and Provide will be looking at ways AI could help to address this in the future by automating tasks, triaging patients to the most appropriate services and allowing people to self-care.
Service users will give consent and be invited to use technological devices that can help them to get the best outcomes.
Chris Wright, Head of IT and Data at Provide, said:
“The Technology Team at Provide are very excited about the benefits that AI can bring to our services and service users.”
“We are working with a range of industry-leading partners to analyse where AI will bring the most benefit and to develop easy to use products and solutions that will make a real difference to care”.
Over the next few months, the Physiotherapy Outpatients Service will be collaborating with a digital strategy group to look at new models for digital healthcare.
The service is committed to embracing innovation and technology to improve patient care and experience.
