Innovation in the use of decision technologies in health care

As the health service confronts the combined pressures of constrained budgets, ageing populations and rising prevalence of chronic diseases, there is a growing recognition of the need to make the most of routine information to guide both commissioning care and clinical decision-making.

The last 30 years have been characterised by the development of information technology, and it has often been argued that in the coming decades we will see the rise of decision technology: that is, the use of technology to help make better decisions. This seminar series looked at how decision technology can best be used in the NHS.

The seminar series brought together clinicians and commissioners to:

• Explore the evidence for and understanding of how decision technologies can be used to improve access, quality, equity and efficiency of health care planning, delivery and decision making;
• Consider how decision tools can be used to inform clinical and commissioning decisions;
• Highlight innovative practice in the use of routine information in helping patients, clinicians and commissioners to make informed decisions.

This seminar showcased practical examples of cutting edge decision technologies and how they are used to guide treatment options for individual patients in areas such as cancer treatment.

We were joined in discussion by Emma Grundy, IBM Predictive Analytics Solution Architect for SPSS Software; Dr Dionisio Acosta, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education (CHIME) at the University College London; and Professor Jack Dowie, Professor Emeritus of Health Impact Analysis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The event was chaired by Dr Geraint Lewis, Senior Fellow, Nuffield Trust.

You can also access further information about our work on research methods and information tools on our dedicated area of work page.