Early Diagnostic Heart Failure (Opera)

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, The West of Scotland Innovation Hub and the University of Glasgow are collaborating on a new study aimed at introducing innovative digital and artificial intelligence techniques to improve access to heart failure diagnostic services.

Since January 2021, more than 700 people - referred from the community for investigation of suspected heart failure - have consented to taking part in the study. As well as receiving their routine clinical care, these patients have participated in a number of additional tests, the outcomes of which will validate a new model of care that aims to use AI and Machine Learning to improve access to heart failure diagnostics in the community. Supporting this has been the co-design and development of a clinical dashboard – developed in conjunction with Storm ID – to present all information relating to the patient’s treatment (including pre-appointment information collected directly from the patient) in a single display.

While the study is ongoing, it is clear that the new model is providing many benefits to the patients and clinical team. Having made use of the Outpatient facilities at the NHS Louisa Jordan during the first quarter of 2021, wait times for investigations was reduced from almost 12 months to less than 12 weeks, and the corresponding commencement of treatment earlier in the patients disease has shown a reduction of hospitalisation episodes.

The West of Scotland Innovation Hub has been able to support this project to bring together industry and clinicians, and it marks as a blueprint of how services can redesign and recover following the pandemic.