Doctors and developers partner for X-ray app
pharmafile | February 10, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | app, digital, experior, lynch, xray
Doctors in Northern Ireland have Belfast have teamed up with IT specialists to develop a new smartphone app that can help study X-rays.
The app – which is still in testing – can specifically identify where a doctor is going wrong when interpreting an X-ray, and is designed to helps medics develop their skills.
According to the team behind the training tool it is the first of its kind in the world. Dr Tom Lynch, one of the app’s creators and head of nuclear medicine at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre, told the BBC: “This is the medical and IT worlds coming together in Northern Ireland and producing something which is really unique.”
The app provides quick feedback and the more it is used by a doctor, the “more targeted and personalised the feedback becomes”, according to Lynch.
The app, which is being called ‘Experior’, will mainly be used in accident and emergency and cancer departments. However, there are are plans to see it rolled out across all health specialities and even into education, industry and financial services.
On the app’s screen there are 30 different X-ray images each displaying a particular condition – the doctor’s task is to identify the diagnosis, submit their answer and have it marked.
Lynch says: “Some [X-rays] are obvious some aren’t. But [most] are typical X-rays that a junior doctor – and one who’s been qualified a long time – would see in an emergency department.”
Kevin Donaghy, who provides the IT expertise for the app, told the BBC: “When Tom first approached me with the idea of improving the skills of doctors with X-rays, I thought ‘how do we build a solution that can be utilised by doctors and training organisations around the globe? How can we harness the best medical brains in the world to the benefit of all doctors and ultimately, all of their patients?’
“That’s the bottom line – we wanted to develop a device that improves diagnosis and health care for everyone.
“With that in mind we used the ‘lean start-up model’ to prove that we can do this, and lead the way with the best medical and IT expertise in Northern Ireland to deliver a world-class solution. We really believe that Northern Ireland can lead the way in the development of innovative health solutions.”
It is understood that the NI Health Board may be interested in testing the app for a year before making a longer-term decision on its use across health trusts in Northern Ireland.
Ben Adams
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