The Impact of AI on Primary Care Practices

Artificial intelligence and digital technology are changing healthcare solutions within the NHS. AI is helping healthcare workers reduce wait times, streamline procedures, and improve early diagnoses. In recent years, secondary care has increasingly adopted AI for tasks such as diagnosing conditions, evaluating X-rays, and predicting bed management needs.

With over 337 million visits across England in 2021 alone, primary care is experiencing startlingly high demand. In normal practice, artificial intelligence can be an effective tool for handling this large job. AI technology aims to emulate human intellect by drawing conclusions or carrying out activities depending on the data at hand. For instance, in primary care, artificial intelligence can be used to identify a possible mental health risk from the description that a patient adds to an online booking when making a GP appointment request.

Artificial intelligence is not intended to take the position of doctors or other healthcare experts. Its purpose is to facilitate clinical decision-making, boost productivity, and minimise administrative tasks so that they may concentrate on providing patient care.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Support Primary Care?

Demand

For GPs and other professionals, the degree of demand in primary care is a constant problem. GP practices are currently offering more services to more patients with more complicated requirements due to changing healthcare expectations, technological advancements lengthening life expectancy, and an ageing population.

Doctors of medicine can manage the numerous appointments that are made every day with the use of artificial intelligence. AI can be programmed to recognise urgent or emergency enquiries, allowing for the referral of those patients or quick action.

GPs can prioritise any patients who are identified by a software solution’s artificial intelligence feature in order to manage their caseload. They can now react to those patients more quickly as a result.

Efficiency

To diagnose their patients, doctors must be able to listen, watch, and pick up on minute details. Any mistakes made at this time could negatively impact their patient’s health and wellness. The advantage of artificial intelligence is that it can sift through consultation descriptions and focus on particular forecasts or phrases.

When GPs actively study their patients, artificial intelligence provides further support by flagging potential concerns to be aware of. With the aid of technology, general practice doctors can treat or refer patients quickly.

This quick response contributes to an improved patient experience with the service and better health results. Since action can be taken immediately, quicker replies can also lessen the need for recurrent, time- consuming administrative chores.

Access To Other Services

People who need help from community services, such as mental health support, frequently start with primary care. Patients can quickly receive care from the most qualified healthcare providers before their problems worsen through better-integrating services.

An online consultation solution’s artificial intelligence can identify questions about mental health as requiring particular care or referrals to community services better suited to the patient’s needs. As a result, the general practitioner (GP) can promptly identify a patient with a potential mental health problem and send them to a mental health programme that can adequately meet their requirements.

Standardising Care

Integrated care systems have made standardised care for the entire population one of their top focuses. Artificial intelligence has the advantage of removing any possibility of cognitive bias, which promotes the standardisation of procedures.