Singapore is one of the leading adopters of AI in healthcare, particularly in areas such as disease detection and improving patient outcomes.
Driving this important feat is effective collaboration among health professionals, particularly between health care providers and the Ministry of Health. The vision of an interconnected health system premised on digital technologies is being implemented by the national medical technology agency Synapxe.
Andy Ta, Director of Data Analytics and AI (DNA) and Chief Data Officer at Synapxe, said: Healthcare IT News Learn more about how the organization is pursuing AI integration across public health facilities with two new AI projects: AI Medical Imaging Platform for Singapore Public Health (AimSG) and AI-powered Chronic Disease Accountability (ACE-AI). ) is focused on.
He shared the drivers for further innovation, especially in AI, and its immediate and prudent application to solving healthcare problems of national concern.
Mr. Ta also talked about medical technology trends in the new year and shared his belief that generative AI, which has skyrocketed in popularity last year, will bring the greatest benefits to healthcare.
Q. Synapxe announced two major AI initiatives/projects, ACE-AI and AimSG, in parallel with its 15th anniversary celebration. What is the current status of both projects?
A. Synapxe has set up common data analytics capabilities based on the Health IT Master Plan (HITMAP) to derive population insights, enable earlier disease detection and more personalized patient care. As the nation’s medical technology agency, Synapxe develops a variety of AI-powered initiatives aimed at creating intelligent technology solutions that help improve the lives of millions of people, every day, everywhere. This year, we are pleased to expand on two such initiatives that we announced at his 15th anniversary celebration.
Aim SG has been launched as a new platform that enables public healthcare organizations to seamlessly integrate validated and trusted AI imaging solutions into existing clinical workflows to enhance diagnostic capabilities and improve efficiency. Developed by Synapxe, SingHealth, and NTT Data, this vendor-neutral platform can support image AI models from a variety of sources for a variety of imaging modalities that was previously not possible. AI image models quickly and accurately automate the analysis of medical images, enable more efficient triage of patients requiring urgent treatment, and help radiologists create radiology reports more efficiently and accurately . This not only improves the quality of clinicians’ diagnoses, but also reduces unnecessary tests and procedures. The platform was recently piloted at Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Singapore General Hospital, and its progress is being monitored ahead of potential implementation at other healthcare institutions.
As part of Healthy SG and to help general practitioners (GPs) gain personalized insights into their patients’ health, Synapxe has developed the country’s first AI-powered chronic disease explanation aid (ACE-AI).. ACE-AI aims to become a digital assistant for doctors in managing their patients’ chronic diseases. Leverage neural networks and explainable AI techniques to identify risk factors and automate risk calculations to detect early signs and risks of chronic disease over the next three years. This helps doctors manage chronic diseases in patients. ACE-AI is currently being piloted in 20 selected GPs.
Q. How does Synapxe work with stakeholders as a “connector” to drive adoption of AI, given concerns about safety/privacy, lack of skills/digital literacy, and other issues? Public Health What are the strategies for accelerating AI adoption in ?
A. Synapxe connects people and systems to power a healthier Singapore. We partner with the Ministry of Health to support the delivery of national health policies and outcomes, including the public health IT master plan and architecture, enabling innovation and the development of health technology professionals.
AI is rapidly being adopted across all industries, especially in healthcare. When implementing AI, it is important to consider facility load, capacity, and users (clinicians, healthcare providers, and patients). Although AI is still a nascent technology, it has the potential to automate many tasks and improve efficiency and cost savings for businesses. We are still in the process of developing and understanding its full capabilities, but we also face the challenge of a lack of AI talent. At Synapxe, we actively engage in digitalization efforts by mobilizing talent through collaboration with industry partners and enabling employees and potential hires to try new technologies, closing knowledge gaps. I’m filling it in. These align with our vision and goal of deploying various technologies, including AI.
Q. What role does innovation play in your ongoing AI projects and other pipelines?
A. Synapxe’s product innovations are guided through the country’s long-term healthcare strategy and national adversity.
Adversity can be a powerful catalyst for innovation and creative thinking. A great example to share is Artificial Intelligence Prediction Engine (CAPE) for community-acquired pneumonia and novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It was developed in collaboration with his CGH team during the COVID-19 pandemic. CAPE is an AI-enabled tool that can predict the severity of pneumonia in patients, including those infected with COVID-19, based on chest X-ray images. This is one of several ongoing projects that will allow clinicians to quickly predict the likely severity of a patient’s pneumonia and efficiently provide therapeutic interventions. Pneumonia is currently one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is the main cause of the worsening of COVID-19 infections.
Another ongoing project being implemented is Active Surveillance System for Adverse Drug and Vaccine Adverse Effects (ASAR) by Synapxe and the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA). As part of HSA’s efforts to strengthen its Adverse Event Surveillance Program, ASAR will collect structured medical care from all public acute hospitals to detect and validate drug safety signals to protect Singapore’s public health. It was launched as the first national application to analyze data and unstructured clinical records.
Q. What is the status of AI implementation in Singapore’s healthcare environment? What has changed in the way it is accepted/implemented across clinics/hospitals?
A. AI is increasingly being used across the healthcare continuum, from management to clinical decision support, to increase system efficiency and improve patient outcomes. Given its ability to streamline processes and increase efficiency, we expect it to become even more common in the coming years as technology advances.
Singapore is known for having one of the highest rates of AI adoption among global markets, with the technology being integrated into various local medical practices to improve disease detection and patient outcomes. Although AI has many applications, its introduction in healthcare is said to be a game-changer, especially in the ability to detect abnormalities in medical imaging such as chest X-rays, mammography, and brain CT scans. Masu.
At Synapxe, we’re already integrating AI into a variety of initiatives. As mentioned above, AimSG and ACE.AI and many more are in the pipeline.
Despite the positive evolution of attitudes towards AI technology, there are still concerns about the medical and legal implications of AI taking over certain roles traditionally held by humans, as well as other risks and ethical implications associated with the introduction of AI. Some concerns still exist, such as concerns.
Q. What trends in healthcare AI do you see continuing in the new year and in the coming years? What about new trends to expect in 2024?
A. 2024 will see further adoption of technology, especially in AI. Combined with predictive analytics, it is beginning to enable early detection of health risks and trend analysis to keep people healthy and well-being.
Companies across industries are also looking to AI to improve efficiency and reduce costs. While many users and companies are currently producing their first results, generative AI has the potential to automate many tasks and do things that humans can do, such as personalizing medicines for individuals based on their genetic makeup. They can be a helpful concierge for your problems.