Scotland's largest health board has launched a new digital service which aims to speed-up diagnosis of a common respiratory disorder and cut waiting times for treatment.
The digital diagnostic service for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will bring together appointments management, clinical information, test data, and outcome letters.
The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) system should give patients earlier access to risk-reducing treatments by increasing capacity and enabling clinicians to work faster.
It can evaluate AI-based software - known as ‘ArtiQ.Spiro’ - which has been shown to reduce workload and improve accuracy of spirometry reporting for patients who require the lung function test.
A dashboard also provides real-time performance data and an overview to help identify high-risk patients for additional interventions.
COPD is an inflammatory condition which blocks airflow from the lungs, causing breathing difficulties.
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It affects around 140,000 people in Scotland and is the second most common reason for emergency hospital admissions.
The technology being used by NHSGGC has been introduced as part of the ongoing Polaris project - a collaboration between the health board and the pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca, which aims prevent COPD lung attacks through early intervention.
Waiting times for spirometry - a simple test used to diagnose and monitor certain lung conditions by measuring how much air a person can expel in one forced breath - have already declined as a result of extra capacity created by Polaris.
The number of people waiting over 12 months for an appointment has fallen year-on-year from 15% to 3%.
Professor Chris Carlin, a consultant respiratory physician and clinical lead for the Polaris project, said: “This launch is a pivotal step towards our ambition to transform care of cardio-respiratory long-term conditions.
“It will allow us to work more efficiently and help to speed up diagnosis for those with COPD, ensuring they are receiving interventions and treatments at an earlier stage.
“We’ve been really grateful for the collaborative working with AstraZeneca which has allowed us to address unacceptably long waiting times for direct access to spirometry.”
In 2023, the team began trialling the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify patients with the highest risk of suffering adverse events so that proactive interventions could be taken to reduce their chances of being admitted to hospital.
It has also developed technology to help patients manage their condition at home and avoid unnecessary visits to hospital by predicting flare-ups or episodes of poor health.
So far, the at-home management technology is estimated to have prevented around 400 hospital admissions and may have avoided 3,600 days spent in hospital by patients with COPD who are using the digital platform.
Dr Edward Piper, medical and scientific affairs director for AstraZeneca, said the drug company was "proud to support this project in Glasgow", adding: “Early detection with spirometry is key to providing effective care and better outcomes for patients with suspected COPD.”
Respiratory physiology teams will be at the forefront of delivering the innovation.
In a joint statement, Emma Giffen and Fergus Wilkie - both respiratory physiologists within NHS GGC - said: “Our teams are working incredibly hard across the city to help implement this redesign and we are encouraged seeing a steady reduction in waiting times since the beginning of this project.
“Furthermore, the introduction of workflow assistive tools and AI insights will free up more patient facing time for us and allow us to signpost patients to appropriate services, such as the established COPD digital service.”
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Marko Topolavic, CEO for ArtiQ, said the Polaris project was "testament to the transformative power of AI in enhancing respiratory diagnostic pathways".
He added: "With the ArtiQ.Spiro technology our team invented, we aim to reduce time and cost per patient, thereby cutting waiting lines, while simultaneously improving spirometry quality and diagnostic outcomes.
“We are incredibly excited about the impact this collaboration will have on improving patient outcomes and reshaping the future of respiratory care."
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