OcciAI

NHS Problem

Outpatient appointments are inherently inefficient. A large amount of expensive clinician face-to-face time is used to provide generic explanations, answer predictable questions and collect standard information such as medical history. The time pressures within most healthcare organisations mean that patients are often left requiring more information. This generates further follow-up visits and reduces surgery conversion rates (currently as low as 40 per cent for cataract referrals due in part to a lack of patient understanding before their appointment). Language barriers in non-native speakers contribute to this time pressure and further their healthcare inequality. 

The Solution

OcciAI is an AI-driven patient information portal designed by two consultant ophthalmologists to streamline outpatient appointments and enhance patient understanding before their appointments.

Patients access the portal to receive personalised, AI-generated videos explaining their condition and treatment options, available in multiple languages. An integrated AI chatbot addresses any further questions and additional information is then summarized and uploaded to the patient’s electronic health record.

OcciAI aims to reduce inefficiencies in outpatient care, improve surgery conversion rates, and address healthcare inequalities by offering multilingual support, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and efficient usage of clinician time.

Impact

OcciAI’s information portal is provided to the patient before the appointment, allowing patients (in their own time) to be educated about the reasons behind their referral and available treatment options. The portal also features an AI chatbot which can answer queries. This exchange is summarised and uploaded to the relevant health record for the clinician to view at the appointment. The portal also collects data pertinent to the appointment such as medical history, drug history etc. which saves time during the expensive face-to-face encounter.  

The information videos are AI-generated, which means any language can be provided with the touch of a button reducing the well-documented healthcare inequality for non-native English speakers.

OcciAI’s portal saves time during the face-to-face encounter (the most expensive part of healthcare) thus increasing efficiency. The high-quality information and explanations improve patient satisfaction, reduce DNA rate, improve surgery conversion rates and reduce healthcare inequality associated with non-native speakers.