AI screening for opioid use disorder is associated with fewer hospital readmissions

NIH-supported clinical trial shows AI tool as effective as healthcare providers in generating referrals to addiction specialists.

An artificial intelligence (AI)-driven screening tool, developed by a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research team, successfully identified hospitalized adults at risk for opioid use disorder and recommended referral to inpatient addiction specialists. The AI-based method was just as effective as a health provider-only approach in initiating addiction specialist consultations and recommending monitoring of opioid withdrawal. Compared to patients who received provider-initiated consultations, patients with AI screening had 47% lower odds of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after their initial discharge. This reduction in readmissions translated to a total of nearly $109,000 in estimated healthcare savings during the study period.

Read More Here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/ai-screening-opioid-use-disorder-associated-fewer-hospital-readmissions