In collaboration with the Royal Devon University NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter, PenARC is supporting pioneering research that harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve outcomes for stroke patients across the UK.
SAMueL 2 – Stroke Audit Machine Learning project is designed to enhance how hospitals use clot-busting medication, known as thrombolysis, which can significantly reduce disability when delivered quickly after a stroke. The research project uses AI and machine learning to identify and personalise stroke care for patients that could benefit the most from it.
This project marks a global first — the integration of AI into a national stroke audit — and represents a major step forward in optimising stroke care delivery. The research team studied information from over 250,000 stroke cases to better understand how clot-busting treatment is used and how it could be improved.
Stroke is a major health issue in the UK, with over 100,00 people admitted to hospital each year. Thrombolysis, if delivered in good time, can make huge difference, but isn’t effective for everyone and therefore must be assessed individually. Currently, in UK hospitals, around 11% of stroke patients receive the treatment, including over 1,000 patients per year in the South West.
SAMueL 2 addresses this challenge by using machine learning to understand patterns in how thrombolysis is used and to develop tools that support hospitals in delivering this treatment more effectively and equitably. The tool provides tailored benchmarks for thrombolysis use, enabling stroke teams to make data-informed decisions that improve care and reduce variation, based on their own patients and resources.
Professor Martin James, a stroke consultant and clinical professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, said:
“SAMueL analysis includes nationwide data from a quarter of a million stroke cases, and by using this data, we can provide each hospital with a tailored target for thrombolysis. When teams have used this as a benchmark, they’ve been able to treat more patients, more effectively.”
Stroke has a life-changing impact, so it’s inspiring to see how research like this can lead to more personalised, faster treatment and better outcomes for patients and their families.”
This innovative research builds on a programme funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and supports government ambitions to increase access to thrombolysis.
Artificial intelligence to improve outcome for stroke patients – BBC News