Western News - Artificial intelligence helps improve outcomes for depression treatment

An international team of scientists, including a Western University researcher, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that facilitates more personalized treatments for depression and improves patient outcomes. "Our clinical trial shows that this new method of treatment selection improves the effectiveness of currently available treatments, with a small and affordable increase in overall treatment costs, since it fast-tracks more patients to intensive treatments when they need them," said Shehzad Ali, professor of public health economics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Ali, a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Economics, was the lead health economist and statistician on the study, which was led by the University of Sheffield in the U.K. Current practice for treating depression often involves a stepped care approach. Patients are first offered a low-intensity treatment, such as group therapy, with those who remain unwell later being moved to more intensive, lengthy treatment. The researchers behind the new tool have shown that implementing AI helps patients receive more tailored care to treat their depression much quicker.