Accidental death reports in Japan to be reviewed with AI

TOKYO – Artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to analyse data related to unexpected deaths at medical institutions and identify recurring problems, the Japan Medical Safety Research Organisation has announced.

The organisation receives accident reports from medical institutions when a patient dies unexpectedly in a clinical setting. By using AI to analyse large volumes of this data, the aim is to help experts develop measures to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents.

When a medical accident occurs under the existing system, the relevant medical institution must report it to the Medical Accident Investigation and Support Centre run by the organisation. This is followed by a summary of the medical institution’s investigation into the incident, including any possible causes.

So far, the organisation has had experts select frequently occurring items from those reports, and published key points of the prevention measures discussed.

From the current system’s launch in 2015 through December 2024, however, only about 10 per cent of all cases have undergone expert analysis. The organisation therefore plans to use AI to analyse the content of all medical accident reports and extract commonalities and other patterns.

By drawing on those results, experts are expected to be able to examine critical issues comprehensively and more efficiently.

The organisation is also consulted by medical institutions that are unsure whether an incident qualifies as a medical accident. Even when the organisation advises that an incident does appear to fall under that designation, there are cases in which no subsequent report is filed.

Going forward, the organisation plans to launch an initiative to follow up with institutions it has advised, including confirming the course of internal discussions within the hospital. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK