A hospital in North Yorkshire has introduced AI technology that could speed up the detection of lung cancer and other serious illnesses.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust stated that the software would "significantly improve" the efficiency and accuracy of chest X-ray analysis.
Now, all X-rays are read by AI within 30 seconds of being taken at the hospital, with abnormal cases given priority.
According to a spokesperson for the trust, the software acts as a second pair of eyes for clinicians and helps identify serious conditions earlier.
The software can detect up to 124 potential findings on chest X-rays in less than a minute, streamlining the reporting process.
Dr. Daniel Fascia, a consultant radiologist at HDFT, said: "This technology will significantly speed up the time it takes for clinicians in our trusts to accurately report and diagnose each X-ray, helping us reduce the backlogs that have existed since the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Harrogate trust has been using AI to detect trauma-related injuries in X-rays, such as fractures and dislocations, since July 2023. It is the latest of six Yorkshire radiology departments to adopt this new software.
Funding for the technology has been secured through NHS England's AI Diagnostics Fund (AIDF). It will provide £21 million to 11 imaging networks, covering 64 NHS trusts across England, to support early lung cancer detection.
UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle MP, said the rollout of the tool could "save lives across the country."
"As someone who has lost both parents to cancer, I understand the importance of accelerating medical innovation through genuine collaborations like this one to prevent this disease from breaking up families," he added.