Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know.”

👇 News

🩺 A study, presented at the 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer in September 2024, has found that AI-powered chest X-rays can detect lung nodules and identify early-stage lung cancer years before symptoms appear. Conducted at Phrapokklao Hospital in Bangkok, the study used Qure.ai’s AI tool and uncovered missed diagnoses in 18% of cases. Researchers say the technology could improve early detection, particularly in hospitals without radiologists.

🚨 Care 24-7 has launched a real-time fall detection platform in West Yorkshire and Teesside. Launched in partnership with assistive technology company ISAAC Care, the platform provides remote monitoring to help individuals live independently at home. The system’s SMART Fall Alarm detects falls and providing quick alerts to care teams, enabling them to respond more quickly.

💊 First Databank (FDB) has acquired MedOptimise, a medicines management platform used by NHS professionals for coordinating medication-related interventions. FDB plans to integrate MedOptimise into its existing tools to improve prescribing practices and reduce medication errors in the UK healthcare system.

💼 Gateley Global has been appointed by the West Midlands Combined Authority to lead a High Growth Accelerator programme aimed at health and med-tech companies in the region. The programme offers free, tailored support to 50 businesses with high growth potential, helping them overcome barriers and manage sustainable expansion.

👩‍⚕️ Med-tech startup Samphire Neuroscience has launched Nettle, a wearable headband that uses brain stimulation to alleviate symptoms of PMS and menstrual pain. Designed for home use, Nettle targets brain regions involved in pain perception and mood regulation, offering a drug-free, non-invasive option for managing menstrual health.

❓ Did you know?

The NHS experienced its busiest summer on record for A&E departments, with 6.8 million attendances over three months, according to NHS England figures. 

While June, July and August 2024 saw a 240,776 increase in visits compared to the same period last year, NHS England said progress was made in key areas: ambulance response times improved, wait times for treatment fell, and more people received cancer diagnoses within a month.

The elective care backlog remains significant at 7.62 million, but waits of over a year dropped to 290,326, the lowest since December 2020, the data show.

Sir Stephen Powis, national medical directo rat NHS England, said: “Important improvements have been made in ambulance response times, long waits for treatment, and cancer diagnosis, but it is clear that waits across a range of services remain unacceptable, and there is much more to do to deliver more timely care for those who need it.”

📖 What we’re reading

Dr Miranda Davies’s blog, What is the scale of the challenge to address health inequalities affecting children and young people? published by Nuffield Trust on 6 September 2024, examines the impact of poverty on child health in the UK. 

Nearly a third of children in the UK live in poverty, which has profound effects on their health outcomes, particularly in areas like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and mental health.

The blog highlights stark disparities in healthcare, noting that asthma admission rates in the most deprived 10% of the population were 2.7 times higher than those in the least deprived. 

Dental health is also a concern, with children from deprived areas being four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for dental issues.

“There are both human and financial costs, with NHS dental extractions for children alone costing £40.7 million in 2022/23 due to tooth decay.

“Health inequalities affecting children and young people are another stark consequence of living in poverty. It is important that this is acknowledged, while also considering and acting on what is within the power of the NHS to influence and change,” writes Davies. 

🚨 Upcoming events 

24-25 September 2024, Excel, London – HETT