The patient journey is one that we have all experienced. A complex and unique journey for each patient, it usually begins at our local medical centre. Manned by the gatekeepers of healthcare, our GPs, this crucial stage of the journey is usually the one that determines whether we enter secondary care. From here, a series …
Countering bias in the health system Heart disease is the leading cause of preventable mortality in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is a disease which disproportionately affects certain groups such as Māori – who have higher rates of ischaemic heart disease (or coronary heart disease) and stroke but have lower access to health care. It is vital …
The “black box” metaphor is commonly used to refer to the lack of understanding of how modern Machine Learning (ML) systems make decisions. Researchers are working actively to remedy this situation which is especially problematic in Healthcare where legal accountability and ethics have to be taken into account in the decision-making process. Consequently, the industry …
A ‘Google’ for Electronic Health Records Ten minutes can be an eternity for medical professionals that need to make split-second decisions to save lives. If they miss a single piece of vital information it could prove critical – but equally, if they waste precious time searching for data, that too can be damaging to the …
As Electronic Health Records (EHRs) become more ubiquitous, healthcare providers are beginning to appreciate the benefits of using this data for ‘secondary applications’, such as disease diagnosis and readmission prediction, by applying machine learning techniques (in particular, deep neural networks). The difficulty with this approach is that data from EHRs is often inconsistent, episodic, exists …
Summer of Research project by Kevin Howe, University of Auckland, supervised by Dr Patrick Gladding. It’s incredible how advanced medical technology has become. Many illnesses that were previously fatal are now treated with ease. Even something as serious as heart failure can be survived, and subsequently treated with an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device. …
Summer of Research project by Seyedjamal (Jamal) Zolhavarieh, AUT, supervised by Dave Parry. While the discovery of new health information is always a good thing, it can lead to difficulties. Doctors and specialists are required to actively ensure they are informed about the latest innovations and news in their field. This includes the latest clinical …
Health Outcome Prediction Engine (HOPE), comprising HOPE for Stroke HOPE for AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm) HOPE for Patient Reported Outcome Measures Treatment decisions for elective interventions such as hip replacement for osteoarthritis are currently based on clinicians’ assessment of likely benefit from surgery derived from their personal experience and knowledge of published evidence of effectiveness. …