New AI centre at Mater Hospital to cut waits, speed diagnoses and save lives
The opening of Ireland's first healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) hub is 'life-saving' as it aims to reduce A&E waiting times, assist in diagnosis, and automate time-consuming tasks.
Dublin's Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) is opening a brand new AI hub in hopes of saving thousands of lives. The country's first Centre for AI and Digital Health was opened on Tuesday and is based at the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare.
It will oversee the adoption of AI in radiology, oncology, cardiology, and ophthalmology. Research projects at the centre include AI-driven automation that will help identify suitable patients for clinical trials in oncology.
Senior AI Research Fellow Paul Banahan said this will give nurses more time to care for patients, rather than sifting through charts and data. He told the Irish Mirror: 'The idea is to use AI and data science tools to help automate the process of selecting patients for the clinical trials that are ongoing in the hospital.
'Previously, cancer trial nurses were doing up to an average of 16 hours a week finding patients suitable for the different trials that we're doing. That's a lot of time, it's a lot of effort, and it's very draining to look through the spreadsheets for long periods of time.
'They are trained as nurses so they'll be able to use their time now to actually care for patients, as opposed to doing a task that they're not here to do specifically.'
Other projects at the centre include a generative AI tool that can convert lumbar spine CT images into synthetic MRI images and the usage of real-time AI-generated images in order to reduce radiation exposure to staff and patients in video x-ray images.
AI is already assisting the hospital's radiology department. It is identifying strokes and fractures within two to three minutes of a scan being complete, with an accuracy rate of over 90%. Consultant Cardiologist at the Mater, Prof Joe Galvin, said AI has the potential to reduce the time that patients are waiting for results, as it will assist with diagnosing much quicker.
He said: 'If a patient suffers from cardiovascular disease, stroke or cardiac arrest, every minute counts. AI's ability to increase accuracy and speed may be life-saving.' Operations Manager for the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare, Erin Daly, said: 'AI has the power to transform how we deliver healthcare.
'At the Mater Hospital, we are developing AI solutions that directly improve clinical processes, whether it's streamlining workflows, assisting in medical research, or helping doctors make faster, data-driven decisions.'
However, Josephine Ryan Leacy, the hospital's chief, said AI in healthcare must be implemented with 'care, accountability, and a clear focus on improving patient outcomes'. She added: 'The Mater Hospital's Centre for AI and Digital Health is focused on ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in a way that prioritises patient safety, transparency and real clinical benefits.'
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Irish Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
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