Healthcare has reached a turning point. With public healthcare in Finland and elsewhere in the world suffering from a shortage of resources, the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence can, in the future, open entirely new vistas in healthcare. Although the image of care robots may seem clinically cold compared to human nurses, in reality, artificial intelligence can free the staff’s time for engaging with patients.

What kinds of practical possibilities can artificial intelligence bring to healthcare?

Klinik Healthcare Solutions is a pioneer in bringing together healthcare and artificial intelligence, in Finland and around the world. An online application designed by Klinik frees up more time for nurses in direct patient care , as first contact with a healthcare facility is made through a browser-based service running on a medical algorithm.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence has a variety of other potential uses in healthcare. Human memory is limited, and the human brain cannot handle the same amount of data as a machine. Indeed, a doctor’s job description is likely to change in the future, and even be updated to a new level. In the future, a doctor will, prior to meeting a patient, have access to effectively analysed data on them. This is in contrast to today’s doctor’s appointments, in which there is no time or opportunity to search for this type of data. The final diagnosis is a combination of analysing the preliminary data and meeting the patient. Diagnoses are faster and more accurate when a machine takes care of the time-consuming preliminary work for the human. The change could be compared to the time when office workers were first given computers to use. The need for human labour will not go anywhere, but certain routine tasks will be handled more effectively. The doctor, in turn, will be left with more time to the genuinely engage with the patient.

The doctor will be left with more time to the genuinely engage with the patient.

What will also change is how patients use the services provided by healthcare organisations. It will no longer be necessary for patients with minor ailments to physically go to a healthcare centre, but it will be sufficient just to submit a photograph of, for example, a wound, mole or rash. The use of machine vision in imaging enables a fast and accurate review of results. A machine stands a good chance of learning how to make reliable identifications from images, as long as there is sufficient data as a basis from which it can learn to perform its tasks. The biggest challenges lie in finding enough reliable data to form the basis on which the machine can be taught.

The biggest potential of artificial intelligence is in the analysis of large amounts of data. Healthcare organisations may already hold large amounts of data on specific demographic groups, but its effective analysis is too great a task to be done using human labour. Data analysed using machine intelligence can, however, elicit certain regularities that will help us understand the incidences of illnesses and even prevent them.

Artificial intelligence will help to shorten queues and to ensure that anyone needing treatment will receive it.

The main promise of artificial intelligence currently is that it will enable more and more people to get the treatment they need. It is impossible to compensate for the shortage of resources in healthcare by means of human labour, when scarcity prevails. Artificial intelligence will help to shorten queues and to ensure that anyone needing treatment will receive it.

The development of artificial intelligence at Klinik pays particular attention to quality and reliability. One important feature about the care recommendations generated by artificial intelligence is their transparency and auditability. Whereas human errors are part of life, no errors are permitted for machines. The development of Klinik’s medical algorithm is the responsibility of a group of doctors specialised in machine learning

Our partners in primary care

YHEC Economic Benefit Case Study

York Health Economics Consortium evaluated Klinik's patient triage technology at Priory Medical Group's PCN, backed by Yorkshire and Humber AHSN. They found Klinik enabled a year's delivery of 18 months' appointments and saved over £300k in capacity.

Carn to Coast Health Centres Case Study

Faced with recruitment challenges and increasing workload, Carn to Coast Health Centres implemented Klinik online triage to help provide a more efficient service. Now the Cornish four-site practice can safely prioritise the needs of the 31,000 patients.

Priory Medical Group Case Study

Priory Medical Group shares how working with Klinik has enabled the PCN to improve the patient journey, boost staff satisfaction and adapt its workforce to known local needs. The system has helped measure the actual demand faced across the PCN’s nine sites.

Portland Medical Centre Study

Klinik is saving London’s Portland Medical Centre 3 to 4 GP sessions per week despite a growing patient list and huge demand for care. The innovative online triage and patient flow management technology is ‘the best thing since sliced bread’, says Flemming Jensen, Business Manager of Portland Medical Centre.

Haxby Group Case Study: Changing the face of general practice

Haxby Group reveals how Klinik is helping to change how general practice is meeting the needs of patients and professionals.

Roxbourne Medical Centre Case Study

One practice that is excelling at managing this demand is Roxbourne Medical Centre. With smart processes, great teamwork and Klinik technology, the London practice has been able to manage the demands it faces without having to increase headcount. Now staff would never go back to the old ways of working.

"Even our most ardent doubters have seen that demand can be successfully managed with online triage."
Martin Eades, Managing Partner
Priory Medical Group
"We understand our patients like never before. We now have data on the true demand we face in general practice. We have the tools to share that workload across the whole primary care network."
Martin Eades, Managing Partner
Priory Medical Group
"We are seeing 8,000 more patients compared to the same time last year thanks to Klinik, and doing so with the same level of resources."
Martin Eades, Managing Partner
Priory Medical Group
“The system enables our clinicians to review the information provided by patients, and provides a suggested priority level. This allows us to ensure we have the patient see the right person at the right time.”
Dr. Azhar Ali, Managing Partner
Forth Medical Group
"Together with Klinik, we have invested the energy to make it the way we want it to be, and now we are seeing the results.”
Dr Sarmad Zaidi
Roxbourne Medical Centre
“Now Klinik is in place, we don’t ever want to go back. Our reception staff feel less pressured to act according to patient expectations, and the whole team feels that they are better placed to deal with all incoming queries. We can breathe now.”
Trupti Chauhan, Operations Manager
Roxbourne Medical Centre
"Now we know what the demand is, we can see what changes need to be made, and we can manage expectation and optimise the journey for every patient. We can assign the right level of resources to deal with the enquiry, and use the most expensive resource where it’s most effective."
Trupti Chauhan, Operations Manager
Roxbourne Medical Centre
“Feedback from other practices using the system was very positive, especially how responsive the company was to people’s needs.”
Dr Michael Curran, GP partner
Church Street Medical Centre
“For any other practice I would say this would make a valuable addition to the practice. In the current environment, it is becoming essential to have an efficient triage service that can assess risk and identify urgency, so that care can be given according to need, rather than demand. I would strongly recommend this to any GP practice.”
Dr Michael Curran, GP partner
Church Street Medical Centre
"With the Klinik online consultation service, we can now get the correct patient to the correct point of care in the most efficient way."
Dr Thomas Patel-Campbell
Haxby Group