AI-powered speech and language therapy app could reach 2.5m people in need
The events of the past year have radically transformed the healthcare sector, including the way services are provided and received. As a result, the strides taken to leverage technology to provide better experiences to patients has seen new and innovative solutions being put on the table.
Providing access to therapy for patients who are recovering from incidents that require long-term, consistent treatment is something that is often not possible for convalescing patients or healthcare providers. For example, in the UK today, there are 17,000 accredited speech therapists serving 2.5 million people in need of therapy.
It was off the back of this that Holly Brown, a consultant at Capgemini, came up with the idea for SpeechFirst, an AI powered speech and language therapy tool that allows patients to continue their therapy at home, as well as supporting therapists to reach more people remotely.
Brown’s father suffered a stroke at the age of 43. Like many of the other 50 million people who suffer strokes each year, he had no underlying health conditions and the impact is still keenly felt by himself and his family 14 years later. Holly recalls her Dad’s six-week therapy course upon his return from the hospital years back, and this sparked the idea to put forward her idea to a group of peer graduates and participate in the Tech4PositiveFutures competition, Capgemini’s internal global challenge to seek out the best tech solutions that can create positive futures by addressing existing societal issues. SpeechFirst emerged as the UK winner, securing start-up funding from the company to further develop the idea.
The project has been supported by the Capgemini Applied Innovation Exchange with input from a UX/UI designer, a data scientist, a full stack developer and a project manager. Working together, the team were able to move from concept to a fully developed app in just 10 weeks, something that can take up to two years in some cases! The next milestone was the UCL Clinic agreeing to conduct a clinical test of the app, and the team is working closely with Professor Rosemary Varley, an expert in the field of language therapy at UCL to complete this.
Professor Varley said: “There is increasing recognition of the need for high intensity practice for speech and language activities to be effective. Therapy software, tailored to the person’s needs, provides a cost-effective way of delivering this practice without the need for a therapist to be present at all times. It is also consistent with the development of self-management skills in people living with a long-term disability. The use of therapy software puts control in the person’s own hands.”
SpeechFirst is an application with the capacity to recognise and provide feedback on patients’ spoken performance using AI. Brown hopes that, one day, the app could be rolled out to thousands of patients across the country via services such as the NHS and other healthcare providers, enabling the frequency and dose of therapy to be increased for those in need of this type of rehabilitation.