2/4 2022

Case Study: Radiobotics has successfully installed its knee algorithm with positive feedback

Radiobotics has successfully installed its knee osteoarthritis product within GE Healthcare’s Edison™ Open AI Orchestrator and received positive feedback from Radiologists and Reporting Radiographers from the East Midlands Imaging Network (EMRAD).

Radiobotics has been working together with GE Healthcare and the East Midlands Imaging Network - EMRAD (a partnership of eight NHS trusts operating in the East Midlands and hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust), to prove what we can achieve when Radiology AI companies like Radiobotics, technology powerhouses like GE and innovative healthcare partners like EMRAD align around a vision to accelerate imaging AI adoption at scale. This has been as part of GE Healthcare’s EdisonTM Accelerator.The results are encouraging and show what can be achieved when clinical knowledge, technology and innovative partnerships join forces. Radiologists at EMRAD report that not only did Radiobotics’ knee osteoarthritis solution, RBknee™, enhance their reporting experience, it also improved standardisation in grading of knee osteoarthritis. This is important. Musculoskeletal problems in general cost the NHS billions annually and affect around 9.6 million adults in the UK. As the population ages, this is only expected to increase. X-rays are commonly used as part of the first line assessment for osteoarthritis of the knee and help steer the patient onto the correct treatment pathway. EMRAD performed 77,000 knee x-rays in 2019 alone. Given that the Royal College of Radiologists state that the clinical Radiology workforce is experiencing a 33% shortfall in workforce capacity, there is a clear need for technology to assist existing staff where possible.The assessment of osteoarthritis on x-ray is usually based on a subjective experience of knee radiographs rather than an objective scoring system. There are multiple scoring systems available, though these are not universally or uniformly used amongst reporters and/or referrers. Difficulties with unfamiliarity and terminology are common reasons for non-adoption. This is where RBknee™ comes in. By standardising the reporting of knee x-rays, RBknee™ software consistently reports findings according to the most accepted scale - the Kelgren Lawrence, as demonstrated by Radiologists at EMRAD. The AI generated report creates a framework from which reporters can generate their final reports. Once trust and familiarity with the programme had been established, this provided a useful second opinion with the overall output being a consistent standardised report with improved reporter confidence. The consistent nature of AI also helps mitigate against human factors that can affect reporting quality such as distractions and fatigue.These results are positive affirmation of the impact RBknee™ can have for healthcare professionals in the UK.
“The GE Healthcare Edison Accelerator Programme has proved to be a pivotal moment for the East Midlands Imaging Network.  We have taken the first step to prove that clinical machine learnt algorithms can be integrated within our Radiology workflows, and overall satisfaction with the user experience is maintained.”
What is RBknee™?
RBknee™ is a CE-marked clinical decision support tool that can automatically assess weight-bearing knee x-rays for the most commonly reported findings of osteoarthritis, in a consistent manner, and outputs the severity of the disease. RBknee™ is CE-marked as Class IIa according to (EU) MDR 2017/745. It is also FDA Cleared and available for sale in the US and Europe.

Who is EMRAD?
The East Midlands Imaging Network (EMRAD) aims to deliver timely and expert radiology services to patients across the East Midlands, regardless of where they are being treated. EMRAD is a partnership of eight NHS trusts (Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (host organisation), Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust). These trusts run 14 hospitals, covering more than five million patients.

What is the Edison™ Accelerator?
The Edison™ Accelerator is a start-up and scale-up acceleration & healthcare provider collaboration programme designed by GE Healthcare in partnership with Wayra UK. It brings together healthcare providers, start-ups and scale-ups who want to leverage the GE Healthcare environment and mentoring to enhance their value proposition. It is designed to introduce GE Healthcare’s Intelligence Platform Edison™ Open AI Orchestrator, to a growing developer community and create a stronger value proposition in the healthcare sector.