NHS Digital’s deputy chief executive has welcomed news that the government has awarded funding for a project which will see us work with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in developing synthetic datasets.
The datasets created in the project will be aimed at increasing the capability to accurately measure the effectiveness of new algorithms, including artificial intelligence and machine learning in medical devices in order to validate them and get them to the market.
The project is part of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund announced by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Advances in artificial intelligence are being applied to the diagnosis and treatment of patients. AI is becoming a medical device in itself with the potential to make a considerable contribution to public health, but its effectiveness is difficult to evaluate using conventional testing techniques.
Rob Shaw, deputy chief executive at NHS Digital, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with MHRA to deliver this project, which provides the potential to significantly improve the ability to measure the effectiveness of new artificial intelligence and machine learning healthcare innovations.
“Traditional processes for testing and certifying medical devices are not suitable for AI or machine learning products, but by creating synthetic datasets we will be better able to validate algorithms to demonstrate their effectiveness in treating or diagnosing patients.”
“Being able to much more accurately identify the best innovations should accelerate the speed at which they can start being used to improve outcomes for patients.”
