Researchers at the University of Oxford are seeking NHSX funding for an artificial intelligence (AI) COVID screening test.

Results of a three-month evaluation study at John Radcliffe Hospital found the CURIAL-Rapide test could screen emergency department (ED) patients at the bedside within 10 minutes, without needing a laboratory. 

Results were available 45 minutes after patients arrived at the ED – 26% faster than with lateral flow tests (LFTs).

When compared against PCR testing, the AI test was more likely to identify COVID patients than LFTs and corrected ruled out the infection 99.7% of the time.

Collaborating with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation trust, the study found CURIAL-Rapide performed consistently across 72,000 admissions to five UK hospitals.

Another AI model named CURIAL-Lab, which uses routine blood tests performed in a laboratory alongside vital signs, was at least as effective as CURIAL-Rapide when tested at hospitals. 

CURIAL-Lab could be deployed rapidly at-scale without additional costs because the data required is collected within one hour as part of standard-care.

The research team have applied for funding from the NHSX AI Health and Social Care Award to drive a national rollout and widescale decision-support trials.

WHY IT MATTERS

The technology cuts out the time for transporting samples to a lab, meaning infected patients can be identified sooner and patients with other conditions can be quickly transferred.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently published new guidance on ethics and governance of AI for health, warning against over-estimating the technology’s benefits.

Meanwhile in Finland, a recent project at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences is encouraging health, care and wellbeing SMEs to grow their businesses through implementing AI-based solutions.

ON THE RECORD

Lead researcher and NIHR academic clinical fellow at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Dr Andrew Soltan said: “This technology can help hospitals run more smoothly and may make a particularly big difference for smaller hospitals where there isn’t a lab on-site. CURIAL is an example of how the collaborative strength of the NHS, bringing together universities with hospital groups across the country, is helping to build an evidence base for safe and responsible use of clinical AI.”

Lead consultant for emergency medicine research in Oxford, Dr Alex Novak said: “The CURIAL studies are an exciting demonstration of the potential for AI-led diagnostic tools in acute clinical settings, with the power to rapidly translate into tangible benefits for patient care and optimise service performance at the frontline.”

Emergency medicine consultant at Oxford University Hospitals, Dr Ravi Pattanshetty said: “CURIAL has proven to be a very effective tool for both rapid front door diagnosis of COVID-19 and to ease the patient flow through the hospital. This ultimately results in fewer hospital acquired infections and opens up an exciting prospect for future AI tools to help overburdened emergency departments.”