NHS Scotland Adopts Classroom to Clinic Training

Intelligent Ultrasound Group PLC
29 February 2024
 

Intelligent Ultrasound's NeedleTrainer and ScanNav Anatomy Peripheral Nerve Block now part of NHS Scotland anaesthetist training program

 

PRESS RELEASE 29 February 2024: Intelligent Ultrasound Group plc (AIM: IUG), the 'classroom to clinic' ultrasound company specialising in AI software and simulation, is pleased to announce NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has incorporated the company's NeedleTrainer and ScanNav Anatomy Peripheral Nerve Block (PNB) in its anaesthesia training program.

 

Intelligent Ultrasound's Classroom to Clinic package is designed to meet the two key challenges of ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia (UGRA): capturing and interpreting ultrasound images and inserting the needle to deposit local anaesthetic at a target site. The risks of poorly performed UGRA and ultrasound-guided needle insertion are well documented, including damage to nerves that can lead to chronic pain, loss of sensation and muscle weakness. Poor identification of structures on ultrasound can lead to needle trauma to blood vessels, the lung, bowel and kidney.

 

NeedleTrainer uses a retractable needle and virtual image overlays to simulate needling non-invasively on a live participant, using an authentic live ultrasound scan. This enables trainees to develop hand-eye coordination, optimum positioning, and accuracy in ultrasound-guided interventional procedures in a realistic clinical environment with minimal risk.

 

ScanNav Anatomy PNB produces a colour overlay on real-time ultrasound to support scanning for UGRA. A recent study published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia showed that availability of ScanNav Anatomy PNB was associated with an increase in the number of blocks performed by anesthesiologists, without a decrease in quality of care.

 

As a teaching package, this provides increased efficiency, whereby education can be carried out in a cost-effective and scalable manner, with enhanced educational outcomes. The platforms will be used at the School of Medicine, University of St Andrews where Dr Alasdair Taylor and co-director Dr James Bowness will use NeedleTrainer as part of their two-day Regional Anaesthesia: Plan A Blocks course.

 

NES joins its counterpart body in Wales (Health Education and Improvement Wales), which invested in Intelligent Ultrasound platforms to help meet curriculum changes and provide more safe, effective learning opportunities in ultrasound-guided interventional procedures.

 

Stuart Gall, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Ultrasound: "Ultrasound-guided needle insertion is now a key competency requirement for multiple specialties. This investment moves us closer to our vision of transforming medical training, ensuring safer practices, and ultimately enhancing patient care. Together, we are bridging the gap from classroom to clinic with innovative solutions that empower medical professionals across Scotland and beyond."

 

Dr Ed Mellanby, Simulation Associate Postgraduate Dean for Scotland, said: "It is a huge challenge to consistently meet the requirements of training in regional anaesthesia in a safe and reliable way across all trainees in Scotland. We are developing a national approach to simulation training in Scotland, with the aim of sharing resources and expertise across the country in order to improve quality and equitability of access. This technology aligns with that ambition and with both patient and curriculum requirements. I am really excited to see how this can reduce the variability in practice and training, and witness the positive impact on performance that we believe this will produce."

 

Dr Alasdair Taylor, Consultant Anaesthetist, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, said: "As a team, we want to increase the delivery of safe and efficacious ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia to patients in Scotland as the potential benefits are well known. When performed well, patients benefit from reduced morbidity, improved pain scores, and a reduced opiate requirement and the consequent side effects. Organisations can benefit from greater theatre efficiency, and shorter length and cost of inpatient stay. Also, with the long-term aim of performing more awake regional anaesthesia, we can achieve a reduced carbon footprint for surgical procedures."

 

 

ENDS

 

Enquiries:

 

Intelligent Ultrasound Group plc

www.intelligentultrasound.com

Stuart Gall, CEO

Tel: +44 (0)29 2075 6534

Helen Jones, CFO

 


 

Cavendish Capital Markets Limited

(Nominated advisor and broker)

 

Giles Balleny (Corporate Finance)

Nigel Birks (ECM)

Dale Bellis (Sales)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7397 8900

 

 


 

 TB Cardew - PR Advisors

 Ed Orlebar

Intelligentultrasound@tbcardew.com

          Tel: +44 (0)7738 724630

 Allison Connolly

Tel: +44 (0)7587 453955

 Emma Pascoe-Watson

Tel: +44 (0)7774 620415

 Jessica Pilling

Tel: +44 (0)7918 584573

 

This is an RNS Reach announcement and the information contained is not considered to have a significant impact on management's expectations of the Group's performance. RNS Reach is an investor communication service aimed at assisting listed and unlisted (including AIM quoted) companies to distribute non-regulatory news releases into the public domain. Information required to be notified under the AIM Rules for Companies, Market Abuse Regulation or other regulation would be disseminated as an RNS regulatory announcement and not on RNS Reach.

 

About Intelligent Ultrasound Group

Intelligent Ultrasound (AIM: IUG) is one of the world's leading 'classroom to clinic' ultrasound companies, specialising in real-time hi-fidelity virtual reality simulation for the ultrasound training market ('classroom') and artificial intelligence-based clinical image analysis software tools for the diagnostic medical ultrasound market ('clinic'). Based in Cardiff in the UK and Atlanta in the US, the Group has two revenue streams:

 

Simulation

Real-time hi-fidelity ultrasound education and training through simulation.  Our main products are the ScanTrainer obstetrics and gynaecology training simulator, the HeartWorks echocardiography training simulator, the BodyWorks Eve Point of Care and Emergency Medicine training simulator with Covid-19 module and the new BabyWorks Neonate and Paediatric training simulator. To date over 1,700 simulators have been sold to over 800 medical institutions around the world.

 

Clinical AI software

Deep learning-based algorithms to make ultrasound machines smarter and more accessible using our proprietary ScanNav ultrasound image analysis technology. Current products on the market utilising this technology are GE HealthCare's SonoLyst software that is incorporated in their Voluson Expert and SWIFT ultrasound machines; ScanNav Anatomy PNB that simplifies ultrasound-guided needling by providing the user with real-time AI-based anatomy highlighting for a range of medical procedures; and NeedleTrainer that teaches real-time ultrasound-guided needling and incorporates ScanNav Anatomy PNB. 

 

www.intelligentultrasound.com

 

NOTE: ScanNav Anatomy PNB is CE approved and cleared for sale in the US by the FDA but is not available for sale in any other territory requiring government approval for this type of product.

 

This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.
 
END
 
 
UK 100

Latest directors dealings