The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will be utilising generative AI (GenAI) to make its website more patient-friendly.
Speaking during a session at the NICE conference 2023, held in Manchester on 7 November, NICE CEO Dr Sue Roberts said that the organisation is looking to remodel its website with a GenAI frequently asked questions (FAQ) page that will collate information from multiple pages easily.
Roberts said: “Sometimes you've read our guidance and think, that's not exactly what I wanted, my exact question is something else.”
This is not the only change the body is looking to make to its website, with considerations being made to allow clinicians and patients to navigate the site more efficiently.
Roberts added: “We acknowledge that you have to be somewhat of a specialist to navigate the NICE. We want patients and any kind of healthcare professional to be reading NICE guidance. So this year, we're reorganising our website trying to get rid of some of the thickets.”
AI was a big topic of conversation at the conference, the first held since 2019, with Roberts adding that not much has changed in terms of the ‘big talking points’ since they last convened.
One of the topic areas which was discussed heavily was the use of AI, machine learning (ML) and technology in the ‘back end’ of healthcare, with discussions about how it could be used to create discharge reports and help input patient data to systems as an attempt to reduce workload to benefit the already overstretched workforce of the NHS.
Although not currently accepted, NICE is also looking at how it will accept AI evidence in 2024.
Another way it could have an impact in the UK soon would be increased use of remote patient monitoring, creating "home wards". As per a GlobalData report, the remote patient monitoring market is expected to be worth $760m in 2030.
One difficulty for the NHS raised by an attendee was the cost of medical device technology, with questions asked about whether this could be better regulated to make it easier for the NHS to access the latest technology.
