This AI Tool Detects Diabetic Eye Disease Faster in Black Americans

Despite the challenges of living with diabetes, a new AI-driven detection tool can help ease the burden of the disease. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have published a study on the use of autonomous artificial intelligence for detecting diabetic eye disease (DED). The study, titled “Autonomous Artificial Intelligence for Diabetic Eye Disease Increases Access and Health Equity in Underserved Populations,” was published in Nature.  Study Findings In the study, researchers discovered the impact of using Digital Diagnostics’ autonomous AI tool, LumineticsCore, on adherence to diabetic eye disease (DED) testing.  In the study, a total of 17,674 patients with diabetes were managed at Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2019. Most patients were female (53%) and under 65 years old (69%). The two most highly represented racial groups were White (45.2%) and Black Americans (40.6%), and the two most common insurance coverages were commercial/other (48.7%) and Medicare (30.0%). Nearly all patients resided in an urban setting. From 2019 to 2021, researchers compared adherence rates between two groups of patients at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Those tested at sites with the AI tool and those at sites without AI. The AI tool led to a 7.6 percentage point greater increase...