BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – A new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology being piloted by Urgent Care Medical Centre to predict and diagnose chest pain in patients, has the potential to save the lives of Barbadians and improve their health outcomes.
The AI project, which is being done in conjunction with global medical technology company Scopium AI, started with preliminary testing being done in June at Urgent Care Medical Centre located at The Estates, St George. Comprehensive clinical testing will begin in July.
Minister of state in the ministry of health and wellness, Davidson Ishmael, said the pilot was a regional first not just for Urgent Care, but also for Barbados’ health system.
Ishmael said it comes at a “critical time” when Barbados, like other countries, was confronted with a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in particular hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“These conditions contribute heavily to morbidity and mortality in our population including through heart attacks which may present with chest pain. To offer some perspective: for every 100,000 men in Barbados, approximately 146 experience a myocardial infarction, and for every 100,000 women, around 89. The typical presentation of chest pain related to ischemic heart disease—central, gripping, tightness, or exertional—is well known, but delays in coming for assessment or in delivery of care can affect outcomes,” the minister of state shared.
The minister explained that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) continued to carry a significant diagnostic and clinical workload, while the island’s network of polyclinics provided critical primary care services including prevention and screening, chronic disease management and minor emergency care.
Ishmael added that primary and urgent care facilities reduced unnecessary hospital visits and provided timely intervention in community settings.
The ministry of health and wellness recognised the importance of urgent care in healthcare and, to this end, was planning a retraining initiative in collaboration with the QEH’s Accident and Emergency Department to equip polyclinic staff with updated urgent care protocols.
The minister further stated that introducing AI into the ministry’s “toolkit” aligned with Barbados’ broader digital health transformation agenda.
Managing director of Urgent Care Barbados, Dr Bandele Majeks, emphasised that all data gathered during the project will be anonymous.
Chief executive officer of Scopium AI, Terry Lall, who is a Caribbean native, indicated that successful testing had already been conducted in the USA and Canada, with “a high rate of predictive accuracy.”
During the eight-day pilot, physicians at Urgent Care Barbados will have the opportunity to use the AI technology, while the Scopium team will collect data to refine the technology.
