IT medical imaging company Sectra has rolled out its AI-driven fracture detection algorithm, BoneView, across all five Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in Northern Ireland according to a Healthcare Today article.

The deployment aims to support emergency departments and minor injury units in identifying bone fractures more accurately.

BoneView, developed in partnership with French AI firm Gleamer, follows a successful trial in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. The evaluation demonstrated improved accuracy, with clinicians delivering correct diagnoses on first review, reducing the need for patient recalls once images were examined by specialist radiologists and radiographers.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said the technology is improving efficiency, reducing missed fractures, and enhancing patient care.

Anton Collins, consultant radiologist of the NIPACS+ Programme, added: “We’ve closely studied how our emergency department clinicians have benefitted… This has helped to increase accuracy in the emergency department to a similar level seen in radiology. The result: fewer missed fractures, improved clinical decisions, enhanced care, and fewer patients being called back.”

The AI integration is part of the Northern Ireland Picture Archiving and Communication System (NIPACS+) enterprise imaging solution, one of the UK’s largest integrated diagnostic initiatives. BoneView is expected to aid in the examination of over 300,000 bone X-rays annually. Sectra is also exploring additional AI applications in areas such as chest X-rays and digital pathology, aiming to detect diseases and cancers earlier.

Jane Rendall, UK and Ireland managing director at Sectra, said: “NIPACS+ is a global exemplar in bringing together diagnostic images as an enabler for transforming how services can work together.”

Explore how Sectra’s AI solutions are reshaping fracture diagnostics across Northern Ireland and streamlining emergency care workflows in the full story.