TCS partners with The Walton Centre

30 Jul 2022 , 01:33 AM

Tata Consultancy Services announced its partnership with The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust The Walton Centre to develop digital solutions that increase the productivity of specialists reduce waiting times for patients and enhance the experience To begin with the two organizations will focus on transforming the experience for outpatient referrals to neurologists According to The Walton Centre patients with headaches make up the largest number of such referrals with a three-month average waiting period to be seen by a consultant TCS will develop an innovative artificial intelligence-based chatbot which could transform the way headache patients are diagnosed and treated at the centre in Liverpool The chatbot will interact with patients being referred to a neurology or headache specialist and collect details of their condition and the symptoms through a structured set of questions This will be used to compile a detailed medical history which clinicians can review before the first appointment with that patient and recommend a further course of action Depending on the clinicians assessment a patient may be put on a fast-track to be examined by a consultant or offered guidance on alleviating symptoms while they await their turn The chatbot will reduce the need for specialist consultants whose time is very scarce to spend their first appointment asking those questions This will enhance their productivity and help bring down the waiting time for patients The chatbot will also provide useful information to the patient to help them prepare for and get the best out of their first appointment The solution which will be developed as a prototype will leverage cloud native serverless technologies and conversational AI to ensure clinical safety and effectiveness