As World Heart Day is observed on September 29, the global health community reflects on the significant advancements in heart disease detection and treatment. Heart disease and stroke account for over 20.5 million deaths annually, underscoring the urgent need for effective monitoring and intervention strategies. Recent innovations include portable ECG devices that weigh under 2kg, making heart health monitoring more accessible. Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a pivotal role in this evolution, with tools developed to predict a person's 10-year heart attack risk. Professor Charalambos Antoniades from the University of Oxford emphasizes AI's capability to extract unseen information from medical tests, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning. [a0a68f87]
In Hong Kong, researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are actively recruiting 3,000 patients to enhance an AI tool named 'P-Cardiac,' aimed at predicting cardiovascular disease risk. This initiative utilizes Asia's largest patient records database, comprising 300,000 records from the Hospital Authority. Recruitment is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024 across six public hospitals. Preliminary findings from a pilot study conducted between 2022 and 2023 revealed that 80% of the 20 patients involved reported a better understanding of their cardiovascular risk profile. With cardiovascular diseases accounting for 10,665 deaths in Hong Kong in 2022, the need for effective predictive tools is critical. The researchers aim to integrate P-Cardiac into routine clinical practice by 2028, potentially reducing mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases by 25%. [88e8de9f]
Moreover, the City Heartbeat Index ranks Hong Kong first for cardiovascular health, reflecting the city's proactive approach to heart disease prevention. However, Dr. Jagat Narula stresses the need for increased government focus on cardiovascular disease management. In England, premature heart-related death rates have reached their highest levels in 14 years, according to the British Heart Foundation, highlighting the ongoing challenges in heart health. Dr. Boon Lim advocates for self-care and nature-based therapies, such as forest bathing, as complementary strategies to improve heart health. [a0a68f87]
In addition to these local efforts, King's College London has launched two projects in collaboration with e-money current account start-up Science Card, focusing on using healthcare data for clinical predictions. The first project, led by Professor Richard Dobson, aims to apply AI to NHS data to transform unutilized data into predictive insights for personalized treatments. The second project, led by Professor Vasa Ćurčin, seeks to develop a medical recommendation model that integrates patient history, lifestyle factors, and medications to support clinical decision-making. These initiatives are part of a broader effort to train health data scientists and engineers, supported by £7.9 million in funding from the EPSRC. [f28378b5]
Additionally, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has received a $1 million grant through the Health Care Unburdened Grant program to explore the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in reducing administrative burdens for physicians. This initiative, funded by the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management, and Scotiabank, aims to integrate GenAI into electronic health records to alleviate the 18.5 million hours of administrative tasks currently performed by doctors. The study, led by Dr. Siddhartha Srivastava, will assess the impact of GenAI on physician efficiency, well-being, and patient experience. [3b5a7b0d]