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

🌐  Oxford Medical Simulation has raised £9.78m ($12.6 million) in Series A funding to advance virtual reality (VR) training in healthcare. In a press release, the company said the funds would be used to help scale the company’s VR training platform, which includes more than 240 simulations, and expand the use of AI to support clients in creating their own training content.

🤖  Dr Nomisha Kurian from the University of Cambridge has published a study that highlights the “empathy gap” in AI chatbots, stressing the need for “child safe AI” to protect young users. The study calls for proactive measures and a 28-item framework to ensure AI tools are safe for children.

📊  The University of Cambridge’s Maxwell Centre and software company SAS have launched a partnership to boost innovation in healthcare. Experts from SAS will work with the university to support high-impact academic research and early-stage startups in the health tech sector. A key focus is an AI-based decision support system for kidney transplants.

🏥  Plans for the National Centre for Child Health Technology at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park have progressed with a lease agreement. As reported by Place Yorkshire, the centre will focus on creating new technologies to improve children’s health and includes facilities like a gait and motion laboratory, as well as an “Intelligent Home” for testing new technologies in real-world environments.

🤝  The UK Competition and Markets Authority, along with its European and US counterparts, has signed a joint statement to ensure fair competition in AI development. The agreement aims to promote AI innovation while addressing potential risks to competition and consumers. This includes ensuring that a small number of companies can’t dominate AI markets or control key parts of AI development.

📉  Swedish digital healthcare startup Kry has told Sifted that its investment in generative AI will push back its goal of becoming profitable until 2025, despite a fall in pre-tax losses and an in increase in revenue in 2023. The company said it remains profitable in its individual markets and continues to develop AI tools to reduce admin time and integrate digital and physical care pathways.

⌨️  Rashik Parmar MBE, chief executive of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has praised IT teams for their dedication during the recent global IT outage. In a letter, Parmar emphasised the importance of treating IT systems as critical national infrastructure and called for senior tech professionals to be included on organisational boards.

❓ Did you know?

One in five (17%) healthcare professionals use generative AI tools like ChatGPT every day, according to a survey by Veritas Technologies (via HTN). Despite this, 53% say they have received no guidelines on using these tools at work.

📖 What we’re reading

The Open Data Institute’s Building a Better Future with Data and AI: A White Paper, published on 24 July 2024, explores how the UK can benefit from AI. It highlights the need for strong data systems and robust ethical practices to support the growth of the AI systems, as well as the importance of proper governance and regulation.

The white paper also discusses current issues like data sharing and transparency, and offers recommendations on ensuring that AI technologies are safe and beneficial for everyone.

🚨 Events coming soon

8-9 August 2024, London – World Congress on Healthcare & Technologies