Home healthcare company Cera is investing in technology which can more rapidly detect and diagnosis deteriorating health, preventing hospitalisations and speeding up treatment. Cera uses its team of 10,000 carers and nurses to collect patient symptoms and health data during at-home appointments. Its artificial intelligence algorithms use the data to predict deterioration in conditions, triggering earlier health interventions to prevent people becoming unwell.
This technology has been proven to reduce hospitalisation rates by 52%, predicted up to 80% of hospitalisations seven days in advance, reduced patient falls by ~17%, urinary problems by ~47%, infections by ~15% and also helped to improve medication and prescription compliance in older patients by 35%.
Nurses and carers collate an elderly person’s symptoms, medication, nutrition, daily activity, and sleeping patterns into the app on a daily basis.
Cera’s app monitors the data points and has the ability to automatically detect worsening conditions 30x faster than traditional methods - reducing the diagnosis rate for flu, for instance, from days to potentially just minutes.
This means that the onset of illnesses such as flu, colds, respiratory issues, or an increase in heart rate or blood pressure can be detected and treated much earlier, and in an older person's own home rather than a hospital or surgery.
Cera’s Director of Data, Nathan Windle, said: “As the UK, and arguably the globe, makes its way out of the pandemic, it’s critical that we continue to invest in technology that will help our elderly communities to live healthier, longer lives at home. By empowering our network through AI, machine learning and additional technologies we can support and protect our community through what promises to be a difficult winter ahead for the health and social care sector.”
Cera is also expediting the hiring of 5,000 carers to help plug the talent gap in the sector.
