A hospital in Kent is trying an AI tool aimed at catching infections before they turn into sepsis.
Kent and Canterbury Hospital has become the first in England to use MEMORI, an artificial intelligence system designed to spot infection early by analysing patient information and creating an infection risk level for each person.
The tool is being piloted on Harvey ward and is designed to help doctors identify infections at an early stage so treatment can start sooner and the risk of serious complications such as sepsis can be reduced.
MEMORI analyses routine clinical information that is already recorded, including blood tests, blood pressure, temperature, medications and demographics.
Harvey ward manager Julie Jones said: “We are all so excited to be the first NHS team to use MEMORI and are looking forward to being pioneers.
“It has incredible potential in terms of recognizing signs of infection early, alerting clinicians to review the patient and potentially change their treatment plan.
“Our patients can be very complex and can deteriorate quickly, so early intervention is vital and potentially life-saving.”
The pilot is part of a collaboration between East Kent Hospitals Trust and Sanome, a UK health technology company.
The trust said MEMORI was co-developed with its teams and is being offered cost-free as part of a longer-term partnership to bring clinical AI to the bedside.
Victor Casambros, 38, from Folkestone, was the first patient to have his observations entered into the system. He has been on Harvey ward since April after suffering a major stroke in January.
A former digital communications manager, he was pleased to be involved with the help of his wife Emma.
Student nursing associate Bobbie Buddle, who was on her second day of placement on the ward, took Victor’s observations and entered them into the system.
She said: “I think MEMORI is a really amazing tool with huge potential and I think it’s pretty cool that I’m able to be a part of it being used for the first time in an NHS hospital.”
Sanome was founded by Benedikt von Thüngen after his father developed sepsis following a cut on his toe.
Unable to get a GP appointment, his father went to an emergency department, but his condition deteriorated while he was waiting to be seen.
Benedikt said: “He called me in a total panic from the hospital and said he felt like he was going to die.
“I asked him to put his camera on and it was immediately obvious he had many of the signs of sepsis, including rapid breathing and mottled skin.
“He ended up spending several weeks in acute care as the staff desperately tried to save him.
“We have the data to spot early deterioration, and that’s what MEMORI is about.
“It will analyse the individual patient data, and use what it has learnt from thousands of other patients, to predict the infection risk score.
“This can empower clinical teams to take action, and gives them a greater window of opportunity to change a patient’s outcome. If you get a patient on the right treatment quickly you can prevent deterioration from happening.
“Being able to launch the tool in the NHS is a very exciting and emotional day, and the result of a lot of hard work.”
MEMORI is intended to help free up staff to focus on patient care by alerting them if a patient’s infection risk level changes.
Benedikt said: “People work in healthcare because they want to provide care and comfort, not go hunting for information or analyzing that information.
“Tools such as MEMORI help them do that job of caring.”
Eibhlin Moore, deteriorating patient lead nurse, said: “I think this is a really exciting opportunity to use a tool that will help us identify infection earlier.”
Read more from Talker News.
