National Institute of Telecommunications

The inauguration was attended by, among others, the Rector, Prof. Wojciech Załuski, of the Medical University of Lublin, Minister of Education and Science, Przemysław Czarnek, the Government's Commissioner for Cybersecurity, Janusz Cieszyński, Deputy Minister of Health, Piotr Bromber, the Mayor of the Wysokie municipality, Dorota Dobrzyńska, and Dr. Tomasz Zieliński, Vice President of the Zielonogórskie Agreement. The National Institute of Telecommunications was represented by Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs, Paweł Pławiak, and Project Manager, Tomasz Jeruzalski.

In Poland, 3 million people suffer from diabetes, with ¹/₃ of them at risk of diabetic retinopathy, which, if left untreated, can lead to damage or loss of eyesight. Early diagnosis is therefore crucial. A pilot project carried out by the Medical University of Lublin aims to examine as many patients as possible, and based on the results, create an application and an artificial intelligence algorithm, which will be used in the evaluation of ophthalmic images in the later stages of the project. The Okobus project brings together a team of specialists from the fields of ophthalmology, computer science, telecommunications, and family doctors.

As Janusz Cieszyński, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, noted:

At the Digitalisation section of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, we ensure that new technologies are human-centric. We focus on practical areas of application, including artificial intelligence. One of the most important areas is the use of AI knowledge in medicine, and the Okobus project fits into this area. Therefore, in the next stage of the project, an AI will be created that will allow for the detection of patients requiring further diagnosis and treatment. I trust that the program will enable the detection of vision disorders in people with diabetes at the earliest stage thanks to the synergy we will achieve at the intersection of machine and human cooperation. This will speed up research and scale up new solutions.

The new diagnostic model will reach residents of the Lublin Voivodeship who have limited access to specialist doctors on a daily basis. Patients referred by family doctors will be preliminarily diagnosed in selected locations in a properly equipped vehicle. In the Okobus, thanks to an installed ophthalmic camera, retinal photographs and angio-OCT examinations will be performed - necessary and sufficient examinations to record even the earliest signs of diabetic macular edema. The test results will be sent remotely for evaluation by specialists from the General and Children's Ophthalmology Clinic of the Medical University of Lublin. Based on this, patients requiring treatment will be selected and referred for further diagnosis at the clinic.

The National Institute of Telecommunications will be responsible for preparing the diagnostic vehicle and its equipment, as well as mobile communication and data transmission means. They will also select locations where examinations will be conducted, in terms of the best wireless connectivity. Its specialists will also develop a machine learning model and a ready-made artificial intelligence-based solution for ophthalmic diagnosis needs.

The National Institute of Telecommunications concluded two financing agreements with the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in December. The support will allow for the implementation of innovative telemedicine projects. The work will also be financed by the Ministry of Health. As part of the projects, the Institute will design, build and implement a teleinformatics system for the remote medical consultation platform e-KONSYLIUM, as well as participate in the development of a telemedicine model to increase the detection of diabetic retinopathy and other ophthalmic diseases in diabetics.

The e-KONSYLIUM platform will enable remote meetings between doctors of various specialties necessary to make decisions about the treatment of cardiological and oncological patients. It will also provide the collection, transmission, sharing, and processing of necessary medical documentation. Fast and reliable access to doctors will allow patients to be virtually and remotely transferred to a specialized cardiological or oncological hospital and make the appropriate decision without delay.

In the first stage of the project, at least 48 specialized hospitals and 80 primary healthcare centers will participate, as well as 6,000 patients.