by Eileen (Xiao Yu) Liu

Graphic design Jayne Leggatt

Since the beginning of 2023, technological innovation has witnessed an unprecedented global dissemination, reshaping industries and everyday life through groundbreaking advancements in AI, blockchain, renewable energy, and decentralized technology. This year, the Healthcare Innovation Challenge focused on improving healthcare infrastructure through AI-based solutions. University of Toronto graduate teams submitted 1-page proposals and presented 5-minute live pitches to expert judges. The challenge provides a competitive learning environment, encouraging students to solve real-world healthcare problems. This year, 5 teams presented solutions, with the top 3 teams winning cash prizes of over $1,000.

This year’s competition featured four esteemed panelists and judges from the University of Toronto including Dr. Pascal Tyrrell, Dr. Beverley Essuel, Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, and Dr. Laura C. Rosella. The day started with the panel discussion highlighting key considerations for implementing AI in healthcare. The focus was on the private sector’s successful use of AI in various aspects and the importance of identifying specific needs, seeking precedents, and choosing the right partners when deploying AI solutions. The challenges of coordinating hospitals and finding end users for appropriate AI solutions were also discussed, along with the need for champions to drive change in the risk-averse healthcare system.

The first team to present was Team 13 and they aimed to address a common challenge faced by patients – comprehending the medical jargon used by their healthcare professionals, which can impact the overall patient experience. To tackle this issue, the team used AI to improve health literacy and elevate patient experience. MEDUCATE, their innovative mobile app, interprets and explains a patient’s health status using voice and text inputs. Users can ask questions conversationally, utilizing data from the patient’s chart. This tool empowers patients by improving health literacy, autonomy, and self-determination in their healthcare journey.

Apart from addressing the challenges faced by patients, Team 26 focused on physician burnout due to heavy administrative workload, proposing PHYSCRIBE. This technology uses voice recognition to convert voice data into structured text and NLP to interpret and comprehend the text. PHYSCRIBE aims to reduce administrative burden and improve physician-patient interaction.

Team 2 explored potential solutions targeting the nursing crisis. Their innovation is called Nurse ROSTER, which stands for Recruitment Optimization Support Through Efficient Real-time prediction. The roster uses an AI predictive model with nurse staffing data and population health data to output the number of future nurses needed to achieve optimal patient care. This enables the system to proactively address a need before it arises.

Team 11 focused on addressing Indigenous health inequality related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a prevalent cause of chronic disease hospitalization in Canada. Their solution, Project AIR-CO, is an AI-assisted remote monitoring system using smartwatch technology to predict acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) weekly, complemented by a health communication application. This innovation aims to reduce emergency care reliance, enhance the management of COPD, and improve the quality of life for the Indigenous community.

The paramedic service’s timely and life-saving assistance during emergencies is crucial. However, as the largest municipal land ambulance service in Canada, the Toronto Paramedic Services faces challenges due to inefficient coordination. Team 24, the competition’s winner, proposed an application using an algorithm trained on historical data to estimate patient conditions, urgency, offload time, travel, traffic, and weather. The algorithm provides optimal hospital destination recommendations, ensuring timely care, efficient ambulance resource allocation, and improved hospital preparedness for incoming patients.

The 2023 Healthcare Innovation Challenge was a resounding success, offering graduate students a valuable opportunity to collaborate with diverse teams in solving real-world healthcare challenges. It fostered innovation, improved problem-solving skills, and encouraged the exploration of cutting-edge healthcare solutions.