Following M42’s unveiling of AIRIS-TB, a pioneering AI-powered chest X-ray for tuberculosis (TB) in May 2024, its flagship visa screening center, Capital Health Screening Centre (CHSC), is now able to conduct 2,000 AI-assisted chest X-rays daily to screen for TB – a 10-fold increase compared with traditional methods. TB remains a significant global health concern, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has set ambitious targets to end the TB epidemic by 2030, with screenings playing a crucial role in this strategy. The hallmark symptoms of active TB include a persistent cough, chest pain, coughing up blood and/or phlegm, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.
In response, CHSC has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to enhance TB screening through the integration of AI technology, which is adopted and supported by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center through the preparation of regulatory standards that ensure the optimal use of these technologies to obtain accurate and effective results. The revolutionary AI system, which is still in the testing phase and yet to be rolled out fully across CHSC, easily distinguishes between normal and abnormal chest X-rays, flagging any abnormalities for radiologist evaluation with a sensitivity of 99.73 percent. By streamlining the diagnostic process, radiologists can rapidly and accurately detect TB cases, significantly enhancing their efficiency. This improvement reduces the time required for diagnosis. The model was optimized to reduce false negative detections, which can be cleared without human intervention. The results to date show a false negative rate of just 0.26 percentensitivity of 99.73 percent, and a workload reduction of 37 percent. The model easily achieves WHO-recommended sensitivity (>90 percent) and specificity compared to conventional methods, enabling earlier detection, intervention and treatment. This not only saves lives but also contributes to advancing global health and well-being.
Ali Al Saffar, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Health Screening Centre, said: “AIRIS-TB is set to be the most active AI system for chest X-rays in the world. With AIRIS-TB’s assistance, this manual workload has been significantly reduced for Radiologists, enabling our team to focus on other areas, setting new benchmarks to help us lead the charge in early detection and treatment. Trained on millions of historical X-rays, the AI model has demonstrated remarkable accuracy, offering renewed hope in achieving a TB-free world for future generations.”
Expanding AI applications
The addition of AI in TB screening at CHSC demonstrates the country’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and sets a precedent for broader applications across the healthcare ecosystem. In 2021, the WHO estimated that the TB incidence rate in the UAE was less than one per 100,000 of the population, significantly lower than the global estimated incidence of 134 per 100,000.
Dr. Andrew Jeremijenko, Medical Director at Capital Health Screening Centre, said: “While the initial focus is on TB, the AI model has the potential to be trained to detect other conditions such as lung cancer, pneumonia, and emphysema. This marks a significant step towards broader applications of AI in healthcare diagnostics.”
M42’s deployment of AI aligns with the tech-enabled global health powerhouse’s broader strategy to leverage data and technology for improved health outcomes. By integrating AI into TB screening, CHSC is enhancing its diagnostic capabilities and positioning itself as a leader in medical AI innovation. The use of advanced technologies like AIRIS-TB at CHSC demonstrates the transformative power of innovation in overcoming the challenges posed by tuberculosis.
To learn more about the AIRIS-TB screening solutions or for more information, please visit: capitalhealth.ae/services/