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Advancing Healthcare through AI: A Case Study of Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning
Applicable Industries
- Education
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- Data Science Services
The Challenge
Alder Hey Children's Hospital, one of Europe's largest and busiest children's hospitals, generates a significant amount of data about its operations, patient pathways, medical challenges, treatments, responses, and more. The hospital recognized the potential value of this data but needed a way to effectively utilize it. One of the key challenges was predicting bed space utilization, a critical aspect of hospital management. The hospital also had to address concerns about data security, ethics, and governance in the application of AI in healthcare.
About The Customer
Alder Hey Children's Hospital is a leading healthcare provider in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest and busiest children's hospitals in Europe, providing innovative, high-quality care for children and young people for over a century. In 2015, the hospital opened a state-of-the-art facility alongside a new research, innovation, and education center, one of the largest of its kind in the country. The hospital has identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as one of its top three strategic priorities.
The Solution
The hospital partnered with Microsoft to unlock the value of its data. One of the first projects was the development of an AI algorithm to predict bed space utilization. The algorithm learns from data to predict the number of patients at different severity levels, their critical condition, and the number of admissions needed each day. This predictive model was created using Microsoft Power BI. In addition to this, the hospital is working on multiple projects with Microsoft, leveraging Azure, IoT, and machine learning technologies. The hospital is also taking a thoughtful approach to program design, ensuring the right ethics, governance, and standard operating procedures are in place.
Operational Impact
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