A technology developed and deployed in Israel can alert doctors to divergent treatment regimens that could land their patients in the hospital.
Many elderly patients end up in hospital because of drug interactions or when treatments don’t keep up with the latest evidence.
This phenomenon is called, in medical parlance, “suboptimal polypharmacy.”
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Leumit Healthcare Services, one of four health funds in Israel, has implemented an artificial intelligence system developed by FeelBetter in Tel Aviv to limit cases of suboptimal polypharmacy that harm patients.
Launched in January, detailed statistics on its effectiveness are not yet available, but a subsequent study suggests that it will be very useful.
The study finds that the system flagged nearly seven out of 10 older patients who are likely to require hospitalization within three to nine months.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, reviewed the 20-year medical records of some 153,000 Israeli patients over the age of 65, suffering from more than one chronic disease and taking more than two prescription drugs.
Artificial intelligence generated, solely from the data available in the files, lists of patients at risk of hospitalization due to suboptimal polypharmacy. The researchers then compared these lists with data on patients actually hospitalized for suboptimal polypharmacy and found that the AI tool identified the majority of cases.
Illustrative: A doctor checks the compatibility of a patient’s medications (KatarzynaBialasiewicz via iStock from Getty Images).
“Many hospitalizations are the result of suboptimal polypharmacy, and our technology gives clinicians the tools to identify the 70% to 80% of people over 65 at risk for hospitalization and tailor care accordingly,” he said. Yoram Hordan, CTO and co-founder of FeelBetter. , a israeli times.
Yoram Hordan, Co-Founder and CTO of FeelBetter (Courtesy of FeelBetter)
“We speak of suboptimal polypharmacy when the pharmacological protocol chosen to treat a patient’s chronic diseases is not the most appropriate. To address this, we review all data related to the patient’s health status (lab results, medications, and treatments) so we can identify issues that may lead to hospitalization. The core of the tool is the constant monitoring of medical records,” she added.
Leumit is the first FeelBetter customer to have integrated the AI tool into its medical record management system, back in January.
The artificial intelligence tool is now undergoing testing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Hordan said doctors at Leumit have already received many alerts from the tool, prompting them to review the treatment given to certain patients.
“We have already provided information to clinicians to tailor the treatment regimen for hundreds of patients,” he said.
Avivit Golan, Physician and Senior Manager at Leumit, said the technology helps optimize drug delivery to each patient and ensures that the chosen treatment best meets their needs.
“It allows clinical pharmacists to play a leadership role in assessing overall health status and determining whether prescribed medications optimally meet goals of care and patient needs,” he said.
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