UK's TPP launches high-tech AI initiative to improve global healthcare

Frank Hester, TPP founder and CEO, delivers a keynote speech at the conference. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At the International Conference on Image, Video Processing and Artificial Intelligence recently held in Shanghai - also known as SHAI 2018 - medical software company TPP unveiled its new AI initiative in an exclusive global launch.

"Our aim is to put our medical AI in the hands of every doctor and every patient, making looking after your health as easy and straightforward as checking your bank account," Frank Hester, TPP founder and CEO, said in his keynote speech at the SHAI 2018 conference.

The event, sponsored by the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ran from Wednesday to Friday. It was comprised of high profile presentations addressing AI theories and applications.

Hester spoke about how the technology will provide the world's first evidence-based clinical AI, pushing the boundaries of what is possible to save and improve lives internationally. "Our AI initiative ... will have a vital role to play in reducing the strain on stretched healthcare services globally," he noted.

Founded in 1997, TPP is a high-tech company dedicated to clinical software development, system integration and technical services.

Based on the electronic medical record, the company also carries out research and development, production, sales and after-sales service of healthcare information software.

As a leading company in the IT services industry in the United Kingdom, TPP is well known for its strong brand and trustworthy corporate reputation, with excellent products, customer-led development and healthcare experience.

TPP's AI products will enable personalized care planning for individuals and their families as well as identifying efficiencies in the wider healthcare system, Hester said.

AI in general has huge potential in healthcare, as Frank pointed out: "AI will predict where the next disease outbreak will come from and how to deal with it successfully, or which hospitals will struggle in the next few days.

"It will tell us in advance how an individual's health will change in the future, and which treatments will work best for each person. When combined with the availability of genomic information, the possibilities for AI in healthcare are hard to overstate."

Hester was invited to speak at the event in recognition of his lifelong work in the field of improving healthcare through technology.

A pioneer in the health technology industry for more than 20 years, Hester built TPP's technology on the ethos of "one patient, one record", and transformed the way healthcare was delivered across the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

Hester's innovative vision was nationally recognized by the NHS and the UK government. In 2015, he was named on the Queen's New Year's Honours List, awarded with the prestigious Order of the British Empire, for his services to healthcare.

In the UK, more than two-thirds of the population have an electronic record with TPP.

Clinicians throughout the country can access and refer to a patient's record whenever it is needed and update their patient's latest information in the same record.

Care providers always have the most accurate, up-to-date information, allowing them to deliver coordinated, safe and efficient care.

Moreover, when making a healthcare plan, doctors can put the patient's past and current health status into perspective by seeing their full medical history. This means they can reach a more accurate assessment faster and deliver a higher quality personalized service.

The benefits of this rich data will bring the next generation of technology to the world.