Digital treatment need assessment to improve access to treatment and make better use of healthcare professionals’ time

The Government proposes that, in future, wellbeing services counties could use automation to assess the need for treatment in primary healthcare. The aim is to speed up access to care and free up healthcare professionals’ time for patient care.

At present, the need for treatment is always assessed by a healthcare professional. Wellbeing services counties already use digital symptom assessment tools, but such assessments cannot be used to automatically assess the need for treatment under the Healthcare Act.

According to the proposal, a digital assessment of the need for treatment would be carried out by a medical device, which could make use of artificial intelligence. The assessment would have to be based on criteria approved on medical or dental grounds. The regulation would apply to primary healthcare and oral healthcare.

Patients could always choose an assessment made by a professional

The digital assessment would be voluntary for patients. Patients would always retain the right to have their need for treatment assessed by a healthcare professional. Before the assessment, patients would have to be clearly informed that the assessment would be carried out in an automated manner. Patients could continue to contact healthcare services by other means, such as by telephone.

If the automated system carried out the assessment of the need for treatment in its entirety, the timeframe within which the patient must gain access to treatment (maximum waiting time guarantee) would begin from that assessment. If the matter were referred to a professional for assessment, this timeframe would begin from the professional’s assessment. The maximum waiting times for treatment would remain unchanged.

Decisions concerning patients’ treatment would continue to be made by healthcare professionals.

Wellbeing services counties would need to ensure the safety of automation and supervise its use