Media release
TUESDAY 21 MAY 2019
- Thirteen paediatric nurses to be trained to use DemDx platform to support clinical decision-making as they take on responsibilities for initial triage
- DemDx and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are also collaborating to incorporate machine-learning into the DemDx platform
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with DemDx to support paediatric nursing staff as they take on greater responsibility for initial triage and diagnosis.
The trial, which started on 10th May, will see 13 paediatric nurses at Moorfields trained to use the new platform, which will assist them in triaging conditions such as various types of conjunctivitis, cellulitis and acute onset squints in children.
DemDx’s additional support and training focusing on improving the patient pathway to assist with clinical decision making, will allow the nursing team to take on these additional clinical responsibilities with greater autonomy, efficiency and safety. It is hoped that this will lead to earlier and more accurate detection of common eye diseases in children, shorter waiting times for patients and carers, and more efficient use of clinical and laboratory tests.
As part of the research, over 1 million anonymised historical clinical records will be mined to support the development of machine learning that will optimise the accuracy and relevance of the clinical advice provided to the paediatric nurses, based upon real-world clinical evidence.
DemDx is a London-based business run by a team of UK-qualified doctors and technology specialists that aims to improve the diagnostic skills of healthcare professionals. Its core product is a decision-support tool that is available on web, tablet and phone, which assists all healthcare staff to accurately piece together diagnostic observations and reach an accurate, timely diagnosis.
This research has been funded by Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency, through the Digital Health Technology Catalyst Round 2 which is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
David Probert, chief executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital, said:
“At Moorfields we’re constantly seeking the latest technological advancements to help us continue delivering excellent patient care. Our nursing workforce plays a hugely important role in delivering the best care for our patients and opportunities such this allow them to be at the forefront of exciting developments in medical technology.”
Lorin Gresser, founder and chief executive officer for DemDx, said:
“We are tremendously excited to partner with Moorfields Eye Hospital. Moorfields has a global reputation for the quality of the patient care that it provides, and we look forward to supporting them as they expand the role of nurse practitioners in triage. Through our machine-learning partnership DemDx will also continue to develop and improve the quality of the medical advice that we provide to all our users worldwide.”
Lauren Blackshaw, paediatric A&E charge nurse at Moorfields Eye Hospital, said:
“We are delighted to partner with DemDx. This has the potential to improve the existing high quality of care for our patients and make a significant difference in how quickly they are treated. It also offers a first innovative training platform for our paediatric nurses and an opportunity for them to expand their role.”
Maria Theodorou, consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, said:
“We are very excited to work with DemDx in the development of this triage platform. The platform will complement current training of nursing staff, who are the first port of call when children present with acute eye problems. It will improve knowledge and confidence, allowing triage and initiation of investigations in a timely manner which will assist with medical clinical decision making and further improve the patient pathway. The collaboration between Moorfields and DemDx will allow our combined expertise to develop this exciting innovative training platform”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading providers of eye health services in the UK and a world class centre of excellence for ophthalmic research and education. Our main focus is the treatment and care of NHS patients with a wide range of eye problems, from common complaints to rare conditions that require treatment not available elsewhere in the UK. Our unique patient case-mix and the number of people we treat mean that our clinicians have expertise in discrete ophthalmic sub-specialties.
In 2017/18, we received over 740,000 visits from patients to our outpatient, inpatient and A&E services, making Moorfields the largest eye care provider in the UK.
We treat people in 32 locations in and around London, the south east and Bedford, enabling us to provide expert treatment closer to patients’ homes. We also operate commercial divisions that provide care to private patients in both London and the Middle East.
With our academic partners at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields is recognised as a leading centre of excellence in eye and vision research. Together we form one of the largest ophthalmic research sites in the world, with the largest patient population in Europe or the USA. We publish more scientific papers than any other eye and vision research site and have an extensive joint research portfolio.
For media enquiries, please contact the Moorfields Eye Hospital:
· Email: moorfields.pressoffice@nhs.net
· Phone: 020 7566 2628 (for out of hours please call 020 7253 3411)
DemDx is a UK-based digital medical information business used by medical professionals in over 160 countries worldwide. It supports healthcare professionals to assess patients when they first present for medical advice in either a clinic, emergency department, or primary-care setting. DemDx helps medical professionals to improve clinical reasoning and diagnostic confidence. The web, tablet, and smartphone app includes clinical algorithms covering over 10,000 different presentations for 1,300 clinical conditions.
For further information please contact:
Email: info@demdx.com
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology was established in April 2007 and has recently been awarded a third five-year term by the NIHR from April 2017. Its purpose is to conduct ‘translational research’ that is designed to take advances in basic medical research from the laboratory to the clinic, enabling patients to benefit more quickly from new scientific breakthroughs. Our centre is currently one of 20 biomedical research centres that have been awarded from April 2017 to NHS/university partnerships with an outstanding international reputation for medical research and expertise, and experience of translating that research into the clinical setting. For further information, please visit www.brcophthalmology.org.
UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is one of a number of specialised research centres within UCL (University College London) and is, together with Moorfields Eye Hospital, one of the leading centres for eye research worldwide. The combination of the Institute’s research resource with the resources of Moorfields Eye Hospital, which has the largest ophthalmic patient population in the Western World, opens the way for advances at the forefront of vision research. For further information, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. For more information visit www.ukri.org
Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK’s world-class research base.
We connect businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn ideas into commercially successful products and services and business growth.
We fund business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. Our support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions.
For further information, please visit: www.moorfields.nhs.uk and www.demdx.com
