Tag: ai

AI assistance does not improve adenoma detection in Lynch syndrome, trial finds

What was studied: Researchers tested whether adding artificial intelligence (AI) to colonoscopy helps doctors find more precancerous growths (adenomas) in people with Lynch syndrome — an inherited condition that greatly raises the risk of colorectal cancer and requires regular colonoscopy screening.

How it was done: About 750 adults with Lynch syndrome at nine specialist centres in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain were randomly assigned to have either a standard high-definition colonoscopy or the same procedure with an AI system (CAD EYE) that flags suspicious areas on the screen in real time. The AI was also tested on its ability to tell, on the spot, whether a growth was precancerous or harmless.

What was found:

  • Adenomas were found in 34% of patients with AI vs 31% without — a difference too small to be meaningful.
  • No advantage for AI in any other measure, including flat growths, advanced adenomas, or cancers detected.
  • Procedure times (about 26 minutes) and patient comfort were the same in both groups.
  • For identifying growth types on sight, the AI performed slightly worse than the expert doctors, and both struggled with a tricky lesion type called sessile serrated lesions.
  • Safety was similar; three minor complications occurred in the AI group, none clearly caused by the AI.

What it means: In expert centres where doctors are already highly skilled and take their time, adding this AI tool didn’t improve results. Careful technique, good bowel preparation and adequate inspection time still matter most.

Important caveats: The study wasn’t designed to prove the two approaches are equivalent — only that AI wasn’t better in this setting. AI could still help in less specialised clinics where detection rates vary more, and future AI trained specifically on the subtle, flat lesions typical of Lynch syndrome might perform better.

Bottom line for patients: A high-quality standard colonoscopy at an experienced centre remains appropriate care — you’re not missing out if your clinic doesn’t use AI.

Published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology (CADLY2 trial; first author Dr Robert Hüneburg, University Hospital Bonn).

https://news.gastro.org/issues/2026/august-2026/ai-assistance-does-not-improve-adenoma-detection-in-lynch-syndrome-trial-finds/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=AGA-posts&utm_source=linkedin

European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation

What are the implications for patients?

The primary goal of the EHDS is to empower patients to access their health data and enable health professionals to consult patients’ medical records, through Electronic Health Records (EHRs). It will enable citizens in the EU to access, manage, and share their health data electronically (primary use), and facilitate its use for public interest, policy making, and research (secondary use). 

To ensure a successful enforcement of the regulation and mitigate any unintended consequences, we call on Member States and the European Commission to prioritise the following key actions during the implementation period: 

  • Accessibility and Usability: EHR systems must be user-friendly, with clear interfaces. 
  • Transparency: Patients should have transparent information in lay language on how their health data is collected, stored, used, and protected within the EHDS framework. 
  • Consent: It is crucial to provide patients with complete information on the opt-out mechanism from the re-use of health data for secondary purposes. 
  • Digital Health Literacy: It is essential to continue promoting digital health literacy programmes, especially in underserved and rural communities. 
  • Stakeholder Engagement: The EHDS stakeholder forum should function as a true advisory board, whose feedback and recommendations are actively incorporated and acted upon. 
  • Financial Considerations: Addressing concerns about the financial burden on Member States and regions is crucial for sustainable implementation.  
  • Security and Privacy: Ensuring state-of-the-art security measures to strengthen the protection and cybersecurity surrounding data storage and processing is of utmost importance. 
  • Minimising Legal Uncertainty: It is critical to reduce legal uncertainties surrounding the implementation of EHDS. 

Click to access ehds-analysis.pdf

Individual Health Identifier (IHI)

Did you know….

The Health Identifiers Act 2014 was enacted by the government to allow two new national data collections–called the National Register of Individual Health Identifiers and the National Register of Health Service Provider Identifiers to be created and operated.

An Individual Health Identifier (IHI) has the following benefits for you:

Improved accuracy in identifying you and your medical records will
lead to safer and better care being provided to you.
Improved accuracy in identifying and associating your records in
different healthcare organisations.
Your health information can be shared safely and seamlessly
between health service providers, for example on referral letters
sent from a private GP to a public hospital.
The use of an Individual Health identifier also enables the
electronic transfer of your health information, which results in faster
care for you.

Medical or clinical information will NEVER be stored on your IHI record. Health
service providers may however use your IHI, to uniquely identify you, when
communicating with other health service providers about your care for example
when a medical consultant is corresponding with your GP or visa versa.

Click to access questions-regarding-the-individual-health-identifier-ihi-number.pdf