People receiving AI-supported screening for diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness globally, were almost twice as likely to attend specialist follow-up appointments as those receiving standard screening, according to new research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Of those who received AI-supported screening and had a level of diabetic retinopathy requiring referral, 35.9% attended a specialist clinic within eight weeks, compared with 18.2% of those who received standard screening.
Those who attended specialist care after AI screening did so sooner, an average of 10.9 days after screening compared with 36.9 days for those receiving standard screening.
The findings, published in The Lancet Global Health, suggest integrating AI into screening programs could give health care workers more time to provide face-to-face support to patients, particularly in low-resource settings, for conditions where early intervention and treatment are crucial.
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