A Queensland public hospital is set to use artificial intelligence for medical scans, in what has been hailed as an Australian first. or signup to continue reading Queensland Premier Steven Miles backed the technology's use in health care after Gold Coast University Hospital confirmed it would look at AI to expedite X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans. The hospital is in a tender phase for introducing the technology to streamline its radiology department.
"It is our understanding that we are the first public hospital to undertake this procurement in Australia," a hospital spokesperson told AAP. The tender process is expected to take six months, with an AI clinical trial set to start in 2025. "It's not just about adopting technology," said hospital spokesman Sandip Kumar.
"It's about putting it through the appropriate research framework, making sure that the technology is validated, actually improving health care and we can measure it, and then we'll implement it." The technology is expected to work in tandem with radiologists when assessing medical images. Mr Kumar said AI implementation could lead to a 20 per cent increase in staff productivity.
It is not expected to impact staffing numbers or provide patient diagnosis. The hospital is looking at AI in a bid to find a more efficient system after finally completing a huge scan backlog. In July 2023 the hospital's radiology department had more than 50,000 images to clear due to staff shortages and surging demand.
The Gold C.